Galaxy Angel Variance
by Guardian Hawk
Summary: The tale of Galaxy Angel told from the perspective of the Guardian of the Royal family, who also happens to be a demon. How will the galaxy handle a coup d'etat and a demon at the same time? Better yet, how will he handle walking the stars for the first time during this war?
1. Chapter 1: Prelude

_**Galaxy Angel Variance**_

 _ **Chapter 1: Prelude**_

One hell of a day…that's the best way I can summarize the events of late. An empire in turmoil, the royal family ravaged, the galaxy at war, and here I am escorting the sole survivor of the Transbaal royal family on board what is, for lack of better words, the Flagship of the Transbaal Imperial Navy. I suppose that doesn't make much sense at first glance, but let me take you back to before this whole mess began.

My name is Howard. Though, if you ask any of the locals, they'll refer to me as the Demon of the West. I'll get to that in a moment. I first came to this galaxy centuries ago. Roughly 372 years to be exact. The planet had apparently been the victim of a natural catastrophe a couple of centuries prior that left its infrastructure all but in pieces. I was a human back when I first arrived. How I got here, your guess is as good as mine. My memory before that moment is almost complete blank with a few tidbits remaining, but every single moment leading up to now is clear as day. I was 28 years old when I was brought here. Technologically, the planet was centuries ahead of anything I had ever known or seen.

As the planet rebuilt and time began to pass, I made a name for myself in the capital city as a master in hand to hand and melee combat after getting into several fights (none of which I started, for the record). So, I opened a school in the capital city and began to teach others what I knew. However, when I hit my mid 40's, I began to feel the effects of my age. I began to wonder if it was possible to slow my aging, or maybe even stop it altogether. You would think after all the movies and books I'd read over the years, I'd know better than to look into that. Nevertheless, I grew curious at the prospect. That was when I stepped into the realm of Genetic Engineering. There were fundamental theories and laws that had established the field, but it had fallen to the wayside in favor of rebuilding the planet's economy. So, I studied, learned and began to dabble into the long abandoned field, to see if I could make any use of it.

The 4th month of TCY 64 on the 18th day. I will never forget that day because everything changed for me.

It had been 24 years since I arrived and I was 52 when I finally had a breakthrough. I had managed to create a chromosome that would enhance my metabolism and reverse the effects of aging. At least, that's what I witnessed in several of the animals I had used to test this solution on. All that was left was to test it on human DNA. I was hesitant to directly introduce it into my system without know what effects it would have on humans. So, I took about 12 oz of blood from myself and mixed the solution into my blood in a beaker. Recording the interaction on a computer I had purchased several years prior, the results looked almost identical to the results from my previous experiments. So, feeling confident, I decided to close my school for the week to conduct my test.

What I didn't know was that decision had a much bigger impact than I thought.

Upon injecting the solution into myself, I immediately felt my arm just light on fire. The burning sensation spread throughout my body as I writhed and yelled in pain. I tried my best to contain my screams and bear with it, telling myself over and over again that it would be worth it in the end. But after about 15 seconds, that plan went to hell and I succumbed to the pain.

When I awoke, I felt…..well, amazing. I felt extremely light, though a bit dizzy to begin with. Once I got to my feet and waited for the blood to level itself out in my body, I walked to the bathroom to take a look in the mirror at my results. Upon gazing into the mirror, I was shocked at what I saw. I had regenerated my body to back when I was in my 20's. That, however, was not the only result. Apparently, there were several other changes that I had failed to take into account when conducting my experiments.

My hair color was a solid white color, the gray that had been present with the brown of my natural hair color was gone. My eye color, which had been brown, was now a golden color, similar to the precious metal itself. I also had two purple jagged stripes on my face. I tried to rub them off, thinking I had smeared something on my face, but it was of no use. It was almost as if they had been tattooed onto my face. My teeth were also straightened and my canines had become sharper. My nails had also grew an inch and formed themselves into sharpened claws as well. Gazing at my new look, I immediately recognized who I looked like. I bore a strong resemblance of an anime character I loved as a kid from before I arrived. It was one of the only memories that I retained upon my arrival here.

After the shock had settled in and I recovered from the ordeal, I reopened my school. Part of me was worried that I would be accused of being an imposter since I had only a handful of students that were still with me from when I first opened my school. But, another part was optimistic that they would recognize me and accept the new change. When my students began arriving, I was in the middle of warming up for the first class. At first, the newer students mistook me as a new student and wondered where I was at. I tried explaining that it was me, but it wasn't going very well. Once my senior students arrived, they almost immediately recognized me and asked how I managed to look almost 30 years younger.

I told them about some of the things I had been dabbling in during my off time, which fascinated them to no end. When I went to bring out some of my records to show them firsthand, I was in shock at what I found.

In my excitement at my success, I failed to notice that the back rooms where I kept most of my records and notes had been completely trashed. There were a few scattered notes left here and there, but the majority of my work had been destroyed. I don't quite remember if it was my flailing around in pain that did it, or if something happened while I was unconscious. However, the damage was done. I showed my students what I had left and explained what happened. They were very respectful and understanding of it all and they asked if I was alright. I assured them I was, though at the same time, a bit disappointed at the fact that everything I had worked for was pretty much gone. I couldn't remember exactly how I came up with the chromosome solution that changed me, so I was literally the embodiment of what was left of my work.

As the years went on, I watched my students come and go. Several of them I had made friends with and spent time with them out in town, making new friends while I was at it. Something else that I noticed was how they aged, and yet, I didn't. My hair continued to grow out and my claws would grow, but apart from that, my body wasn't physically aging. I decided to grow my hair out to the lower part of my back and tie it up in a high ponytail, that way it would make cutting it easier. I also noticed I had become much stronger and faster, unintentionally hurting several of my students during class. I had to learn how to restrain myself quickly as a result of my unintentional incidents. As I watched my friends and students start dying, I began to realize how….I don't know. Sad, I guess would be a good word, it was to live without aging but watching people I cared about grow and die. I decided to give my school to my senior most student, who worked for me as a senior instructor, and left to travel.

As time went on, word of my physical change spread since there were none on Transbaal that looked even close to how I did. Several people claimed I was an abomination that needed to be cleansed from the planet, attempting to kill me. When I defended myself during the first incident, however, I felt something new. Something that felt both right and wrong at the same time. Bloodthirst. I tried to simply disarm them and intimidate them into running away, but they were extremely persistent. One of them tried to impale me with a knife, and he had succeeded in wounding me, but what I didn't realize was that unleashed something inside of me.

Rage consumed me and I became a killing machine.

The first one fell to my claws within seconds of wounding me. There were eight of them in that particular incident. Three of them tried to charge and overwhelm me, but between my strength, speed, and claws, I slaughtered them within seconds. The rest tried to flee, but at that point, it was too late. I charged them and killed them, ripping them apart in the process. After they were all dead, my rage faded and I had regained my composure. What I witnessed left me wondering what happened. It was surreal, almost like watching someone else control your body while you watched with your own eyes. The blood still dripping from my claws, I felt satisfaction at what I did, but at the same time, I also felt sorrow. The conflict between the two feelings left me in turmoil and I decided to limit my interactions with people to as little as possible. If I couldn't control this beast, this demon, inside of me, then what would be the point of trying to interact with people.

After that incident, word somehow spread across the planet that I had ravaged those men like a wild animal, which prompted people to start referring to me as 'Demon' whenever I would go into a town. How word of that had spread, I have no clue. As far as I remember, I didn't leave any survivors. But, the damage had been done, and people went from respecting me to fearing me almost overnight. I decided to settle on the western most edge of one of the larger continents on Transbaal and set myself up quite comfortably in my isolated little corner of the world. I would have to drive away the occasional trespasser, or kill a group of zealots every now and again, but for the most part, the people of Transbaal left me be.

After about a decade, The Transbaal Empire formed and a new standard for tracking time had been established. I decided to not impose myself upon the Empire and remained in my isolation, where I continued to learn how to use the power I had created. I also made a very startling discovery after my first few years in isolation. I could transform into a giant dog that was easily the size of a multistory building. After a century, the power I had initially learned to use continued to grow and it became more and more apparent that I was more than just a man or just a demon. I was a walking weapon. Word of me continued to spread over the years, and it came to the point where people would invent stories about the Demon of the West. How he would come to take bad children away from their families if they didn't learn to behave, or how he would slaughter the occasional town, just to maintain the fear the people had for him.

On one hand, it was entertaining, since none of it was true. However, on the other hand…

It was the year TCY 284. I had travelled into town to buy more food and supplies for myself. My look and attire had evolved quite a bit since I first walked on the planet. I decided to wear the look of that character I loved as a child, since it was both imposing, as well as fitting for what I had become. I wore a red undertunic with a white overtunic with a large blue patch across my left shoulder and a thin blue stripe below that patch across the left part of my chest. My pants flared out near the bottom, where they wrapped around the ankles of my boots, which were white with two sets of black stripes on each boot. I also wore a breastplate on top of the tunics, since I had to wear something to protect myself from bladed weapons over the years. The breastplate was black from the middle down, but the upper half was silver with two horns forged into the metal, one on each side of my chest, with a bright red gem in the center. I also wore a pair of pauldrons that were lined with horns as they layered themselves down to my elbows. Below my elbow, I wore a pair of gauntlets to protect my forearms and the back of my hands. Around my waist, I wore a sash that was a crimson red that had purple striping near the ends, mainly for decorative purposes. Down my back, I wore a bright white fur cape that I had made using fur from my demonic form. The cape was a single piece until it reached my lower back, where it split into two separate tails that trailed behind me about a foot.

I considered having some weapons made or purchasing some weapons to protect myself, but my claws were more than sufficient, especially with some of the abilities I learned to use with my claws over the centuries as well. But, I digress…

As I traversed the town, people took notice of me almost immediately and began to run for cover. Whether it was because of the stories that had grown over the centuries or out of fear of what I might do, I can only guess. But, I made my way to the store that I had grown accustomed to going to in order to get what I needed and go back to my home. When I entered the door into the shop, however, I wasn't greeted by the shopkeeper that was normally there.

I came face to face with a detachment of the Imperial guard.

As I was about to walk out of the door, so as not to cause trouble, I turned and found that the entire front of the building had been surrounded by what could easily have been a battalion of men, all part of the Imperial Guard. Now, at this point, I'm thinking to myself, ' _Great, just what I need, something to ruin my day and make me look worse than I did before.'_ I flexed my right hand, cracking several of the smaller bones and got ready to fight my way out. However, something I wasn't expecting happened. The Captain of the guard came forward and said, "Demon of the West, your presence has been requested by his Majesty, Emperor Retando the 3rd. We are under strict orders to bring you to him unharmed, but we will defend these people and ourselves should you choose to fight."

I'm standing there, thinking to myself if I should take the courtesy that has been extended to me, or if I should just go back to my little corner of the planet away from everyone. Granted, even if I did that, if I have the Emperor's attention, then odds are he'll just send another battalion after me. Killing them would do me no good whatsoever, so…

"Very well, lead on Captain."

I thought to correct him about my name, but I decided to just keep quiet since I didn't want to aggravate him. Especially with the better part of a thousand or more men with power weapons all trained on me from behind me. Sure, I could get away and probably slaughter the better part of the battalion in the process, but at the same time, that would also probably throw away the only chance I'll probably have to clear the air about who I am, and maybe start living a normal life…ok, somewhat normal life, again.

We boarded a transport craft and flew to the Imperial Palace in just under an hour. This was the first time I'd ridden in an aircraft in the better part of 200 years. So, safe to say, I was uncomfortable during the whole ride. The Captain cast me glances every now and again, and the soldiers were all eyeing me for the better part of the ride. With some of the stories that had been spread about me, can't say I blame them for being paranoid. Odds are they figured I would snap and kill them all in an instant if they even so much as glanced away from me.

After that agonizingly slow hour, we arrived at the Imperial Palace, where I was escorted from the craft, still under heavy guard, into the palace and through its halls until we arrived at the throne room. Upon entering the throne room, I couldn't help but whistle to myself. The designs that had gone into its construction were gorgeous to look at, not to mention the throne room alone was easily large enough to house at least 3 of those transport craft that I rode in on. At the end of the throne room was, of course, the throne, where a man that could be described as being in his late 30's, sat conversing with a woman on his left, who I can only assume was the Empress. Being in isolation, I kinda fell out of track with the times, so you'll have to forgive me for not knowing who they are at first look.

Upon reaching the throne, the Captain of the Guard stepped ahead of me and said, "Your highness, as you requested, the Demon of the West." I couldn't help but roll my eyes a bit at the reference to the title. But, I maintained my composure and looked the Emperor in the eye as he chuckled said, "Welcome to the Imperial Palace, sir. I couldn't help but notice you roll your eyes a bit at my Guard captain introducing you. So, if I may be so bold, may I ask your name?" I couldn't help but smile and bow my head lightly in respect as I said, "My name is Howard. As I'm sure you've already heard, I'm referred to by a very different name amongst your people. While I like the title, I can't really say I'm a big fan of the…..effect it has on people when I come out of my isolation just to get simple things."

The Emperor looked at me solemnly and said, "I've heard several stories from some of my children's teachers about you. However, I can't help but be curious as to how much truth is in those stories, so I summoned you here so I could ask you myself. I've never heard of anyone similar to you on the planet, so I'm sure you could understand my curiosity."

I glanced over to the Empress who sat to his left as she shifted uneasily upon falling under my gaze before I looked back to him. "I've heard some of those stories as well, and I can assure you, a lot of them are exactly that…stories. There was an incident a few centuries ago when I was forced to defend myself against several people that intended on killing me. The fact I lost control and killed them in a very….brutal manner was what sparked the beginning of a lot of these stories. So, I decided until I had better control of my power, I would keep myself isolated in the western most part of the continent I was on. Thus, Demon of the West."

The Emperor shifted forward in his seat as I finished and said, "Centuries? If I may ask, how old are you?" I couldn't help but laugh at his question. The guard captain threw me a dirty look, which, I can't really blame him. I just laughed at an Emperor, not exactly the brightest of ideas, but given my situation, I figured I'd get away with it. After I finished laughing, I answered him, "I'm 272 years old. I discovered a way to reverse the effect aging had on me when I was in my 50's. However, the resulting aftermath of using that solution on myself left my work in ruins, and left me like this," spreading my arms out to emphasis my point. The Emperor's eyebrows shot up at my explanation, to which, he silently sat in thought for a moment.

As he was thinking, the Empress, who'd been silent up to this point, spoke up and asked, "Do you enjoy living in isolation away from Transbaal's people?" I looked over at her, surprised by her question. I actually had to stop and think for a minute on that, did I?

"Truthfully, milady, no. I don't. I used to run a combat training school before this whole thing happened to me. I enjoyed making friends and showing people how to defend themselves. Now, well, all of my friends and former students are long since dead, and everyone is terrified of me."

The Emperor then sat up as if he had a sudden idea, "In that case, would you be willing to act as a personal guard of the Royal Family? It would allow you to come out of your isolation, and it would allow you to use your abilities to keep my family safe."

I couldn't help but groan a bit before looking back at him and saying, "As generous as your offer is, I don't think I would work very well with your royal guard. Most of them are intimidated by me just being in the same room as them."

The Emperor answered almost immediately, "That's not what I meant. They're part of the Royal Guard, yes, but you would work and act as a personal guardian separate from the Guard. You would answer directly to me, and your responsibility would be to help keep my family safe as well as teach them a bit of what you've learned over the centuries. Being as long lived as you are, I'm sure you could help impart several important life lessons to my children to help better prepare them for the day they take the throne."

I was practically in shock. I was being offered a position in the Royal palace, as a guardian for the Royal family no less. Talk about the ultimate redemption from the rumors and stories that drove me into isolation to begin with. There was only one answer I had for that proposal, as if there was any doubt…

"In that case, how could I say no?"

Now, fast forward another 128 years to present day. I was walking down the passage way alongside Prince Shiva, as we made our way towards the dining room for dinner. The conversation for the better part of the way had been…..interesting, to say the least.

"So, if that's the case, why didn't you just conquer the planet and take control of it for yourself?"

"Because I didn't want to rule a planet, I just wanted to be left alone. If I conquered the planet, that would be the complete opposite of what I wanted. Plus, people feared me enough as it was, I didn't need to make it worse."

Shiva had a constant curiosity about me ever since I was introduced to her following the exile of her older cousin Eonia, several years prior. Ahhh, that brings up a separate point. So, Prince Shiva was portrayed and passed off as a boy, so as to imply the current Emperor, King Gerard, had an heir to the throne. However, being a demon, I have sharper senses than the typical human, so I picked up on the female pheromones that came off of her almost instantly. If there was one thing I've learned how to do over the years, it's how to tell the difference between a man and a woman using only certain senses.

"If you had just wanted to be left alone, why did you let stories circulate, making you out to be a monster? If anything, I would figure leaving that to happen would just draw more people to try to kill you."

"What was I going to say? 'Hi, I'm Howard, the friendly demon, oh by the way, all those stories about me stealing bad children and slaughtering villages? Don't pay any attention to them.' Yeah, that would have gone over REAL well back then."

Before Prince Shiva could respond, the palace shook, causing several parts of the structure to collapse around us. One of the support beams for the passage way broke off the wall and began to fall in our direction. Shiva looked at the pillar, frozen in fear. I immediate sprung into action and caught the pillar before it had landed on us. Holding the massive pillar above me, Shiva stood in surprise at my display of strength before I tossed the pillar to the side and looked back at her, "Are you alright, Shiva?"

She nodded her head as I opened up my communicator and called the Captain of the guard. "Captain, what's going on? Part of the passage leading to the dinning room almost collapsed on myself and Prince Shiva." The response he received was from a younger soldier who was in half a panic, "My lord, the captain is dead. The palace is being bombarded from orbit by an unknown enemy fleet. The King has ordered an evacuation of the palace." I growled a bit before I said, "Very Well, I'll take the Prince to the Starboard side hanger. Have the rest of the royal family rendezvous with me there." The soldier acknowledged and closed the channel before I looked at Shiva and said, "We don't have a lot of time, get on my back." I knelt down, allowing her to climb onto my fur-lined back. Wrapping her arms around my neck, I grabbed each of her legs and sprinted down the passageway with my demonic speed.

Within minutes, we arrived at the hanger, where we were met with several smoldering wrecks and ruins that were once the mainstay of the Imperial Families personal spacecraft. Luckily, there was a shuttle nearby that had been only lightly damaged from the bombardment. I carried Shiva over to the shuttle and motioned for her to get on board as I looked around, searching for any sign of the rest of the royal family. From one of the doors on the side of the hanger, I saw that same young soldier hobble his way towards the shuttle. He'd been badly wounded, probably from something exploding. I ran over to him and caught him as he collapsed. He looked at me and coughed out, "My lord, the….*gasp*…royal family is gone. Get the Prince to safety…..please….." With those words, his body fell limp, succumbing to the wounds he had sustained. I set his body on the ground and ran back over to the shuttle.

Upon boarding the shuttle, I started up the shuttles systems and engines. Shiva looked to me and said, "Where is everyone else?" I glanced back at her and said, "That soldier came down here to tell us they're all gone. My job is to get you out of here now." Shiva sat in shock at what I had just told her. Yeah, it was a cold, if not completely screwed up way, to tell her that her family is dead, but given the circumstances, I didn't have time on my side to break it to her gently.

Hearing the shuttles engines roar to life, I piloted the shuttle out of the hanger and weaved my way through the bombardment as the Imperial Palace collapsed behind us. Part of me was hurting, because I had grown so used to living on Transbaal for the last three and a half centuries, and this is the first time I'm leaving the planet. Another part of me was beyond furious. I don't know who was commanding that fleet, or where they came from, but I wanted nothing more than to rip their heart out and ram it down their throat. However, I maintained my composure for the sake of the young prince behind me, who was the sole survivor of a family that offered me a generosity that nobody else would have afforded me all those years ago.

As we exited the atmosphere, we came face to face with the fleet of warships that were bombarding the planet. Unfortunately, we didn't go unnoticed. Within a minute, they began firing on us. Whoever they were did NOT want anyone escaping. Luckily, I had learned how to pilot fighter craft over the years, mainly out of boredom, so I was able to weave the shuttle through the crossfire. It was a bit sluggish in responding to my commands, but considering that it wasn't designed for this kind of thing, it was holding up pretty good.

After what felt like an eternity of weaving through the enemy fleet, we caught a glimpse of the White Moon off the starboard bow. Surprisingly, it had been untouched during this whole thing, though, I didn't know a lot about it since I never really put much thought into it before now. But my curiosity came crashing back to reality as the shields registered a hit from one of the ships. I pulled off to port and prepared the Chrono drive to for a jump into Chrono space when I caught sight of a large white carrier in the distance.

"That's the Elsior, if we can make it there, we'll be safe."

I almost reeled my claws around when Shiva chimed in. She scared the hell out of me from how quiet she had been. "Understood, opening a channel with them." I pressed a couple of buttons on the panel and opened a com-line with the ship, where I was greeted with the face of an older man in a military uniform. "General Luft, been a while. Are you commanding that white carrier we're seeing?"

The General looked a bit surprised before he responded, "The Demon? I was under the impression that nobody made it out of the palace before it was destroyed."

"As you can see, that report is a bit exaggerated. I managed to get Prince Shiva out of the Palace, but the rest of the Royal Family is gone. Requesting cover fire and clearance to dock. We brought a few friends with us to play."

No sooner had I said that, 4 cruisers had broken off and chased after us, causing me to weave through crossfire even more.

"Granted, we're scrambling the Angel wing to give you cover. Luft out."

Upon closing the com line, I looked back at Shiva and said, "I suggest you sit down and strap in, this is going to get really bumpy really fast." She nodded and quickly sat down in one of the seats, strapping herself in as I continued to weave through the constant crossfire coming from the cruisers behind us.

After about a minute, while we were racing towards the Elsior, 3 frames raced past us towards the cruisers that were firing on us. They were moving extremely fast, so all I caught were a few glimpses of color. One pink, one red, and one purple. I figured that was the Angel wing that Luft had mentioned. The crossfire towards us ceased within seconds of those frames flying past us. Looks like they were just what we needed. The hanger doors on the Elsior opened up as we drew close and I proceeded to land the shuttle in the hanger. Once I set the shuttle down, the Angel wing had docked in their respective spots behind us as the hanger doors closed and the ship proceeded to Chrono drive.

The only thing I could say as I slumped back into my seat:

"Talk about one hell of a day."

 _ **Guardian Hawk: So, quick disclaimer, I do not own the Galaxy Angel Series or the character, Inu-No-Taisho, that I styled Howard from during the course of this chapter.**_

 _ **Howard: You think you made my back story long enough?**_

 _ **Guardian Hawk: Well, I didn't want people to be lost trying to make heads or tails of who and/or what you were, sooooooooo, no, not really. Would you like it longer?**_

 _ **Howard: Seriously? After all of what your just put me through, really?**_

 _ **Guardian Hawk: Really. But, in the meantime, by all means review and leave your thoughts and comments and we'll see you in the next chapter!**_


	2. Chapter 2: Introductions

_**Chapter 2: Introductions**_

After taking a deep breath and allowing myself to relax from that mess, I looked back at Shiva and said, "Well, we're here. I hope you know what you're doing." Shiva unstrapped herself as she looked at me with a smile and said, "Is the great Demon of the West worried? Huh, who'd have thought." I couldn't help but chuckle as I got up and said, "Now, now, no need to be insulting. I've never left the planet before, so you could say I feel like a fish out of water, so to speak." Shiva raised her eyebrows as she got out of her seat as well before saying, "You're almost 400 years old and you've NEVER been in space before? Really?" All I did was glare at Shiva as I opened the door leading into the hanger bay.

I stepped out of the shuttle and offered a hand to Shiva as she stepped out of the shuttle as well. I looked around and took in the sight of the massive hanger as three men made their way from the entrance over to us. I looked at Shiva and said, "I recognize Luft, but I don't know who the other two are, so give me a sec and I'll find out." Shiva nodded as I walked forward towards the trio, meeting them about 20 feet from the shuttle.

"General, looking good since the last time we met. How long's it been? 2, 3 years?"

Luft laughed as he said, "You're a terrible liar, Demon. Ha ha! It's been about that long. Though, I wish we were meeting under better circumstances."

I smirked and replied, "Agreed. That said, who are these two? Can't say I've seen them before."

Luft turned towards the two and said, "May I present the new commanding officer of the Elsior, Takuto Myers. Tact, this is the Demon of the West, guardian of the royal family." A young man with spiky, dark blue hair, wearing a simple white uniform that had trims of gold, red, and navy blue with an accompanying blue mantle, stepped forward, extending his hand and said, "A pleasure to meet you sir. I hope your stay with us will be more enjoyable than what you just went through."

I couldn't help but smirk at his rather upbeat outlook on the situation. I took his hand and shook it with a loose grip saying, "Thankfully, it won't take much to be better than that nightmare." He looked at my hand with a slightly worried look before I added, "I'm shaking your hand loosely on purpose. I'd rather not unintentionally hurt you." Tact laughed a bit and said, "It's perfectly alright, I can handle a good handshake, so by all means, let me have it."

Poor choice of words.

I tilted my head lightly before glancing at Luft, who already knew what was coming, and said, "Ok, you asked for it." I squeezed his hand slightly, and while it didn't feel like anything to me, he immediately dropped down and yelled, "Ow, ow, ow, ow, ow, ok, ok, please don't break my hand." I released his hand and you could practically see the outline of where I squeezed into his hand. As Tact stood back up and nursed his hand, Luft shifted his attention to the other man who had neck length white hair and a distinct eyepatch covering his left eye. "This is vice commander Lester Coolduras, he will be Tact's executive officer on board the Elsior."

Lester extended his hand to me and said, "An honor to meet you, my lord. I've heard a lot of stories about you." I took his hand and shook it with a loose grip as well as I said, "The pleasure is mine Mr. Coolduras. I trust you don't have any problems with my handshake." Lester shook his head and said, "That was a stupid move on Tact's part. Though, he probably knows better now than to question how you do things, at least I can only hope he does." I stiffed a chuckle before saying, "Well, he'll have plenty of opportunities to learn. That said, if you three will follow me please, so that I may introduce you to my charge."

The four of us walked over to the shuttle, where Shiva had been patiently waiting as I turned to the three men and said, "Gentlemen, may I introduce to you, Prince Shiva Transbaal of the Royal Family." Shiva stepped forward to which all three men bowed deeply. Once Shiva had given them permission to rise, Luft said, "Your majesty, I cannot begin to express how relieved I am to see you safe and unharmed. You also have my as well as the entire ship's sincerest condolences for the loss of your family. We will strive to ensure that whoever is behind this attack is brought to justice." I cracked my knuckles before adding in, "I'll personally ensure that."

Luft looked to Tact and Lester and said, "Gentlemen, I have to discuss our next move with his majesty. Carry on with your duties, I'll fill you in on what we plan next later." Shiva quickly added in, "Also, please arrange for quarters for myself as well as for my guardian." They both saluted and left the hanger as I looked to Luft and said, "Interesting choice for a commanding officer. Don't you think he's a little…young for that, Luft?" He laughed and said, "Tact is one of my finest students, what he lacks in age, he greatly makes up for in tactical brilliance and quick thinking. I think he'll fit in just fine." All I did was flex my eyebrows before I looked to Shiva, who then said, "The General does have a point, we need to discuss what we need to do next. I'll be alright with him. Go ahead and take a bit of time and relax, you've more than earned it Howard." I bowed my head lightly as Luft said, "Don't worry, his majesty couldn't be any safer on board the Elsior. I think you'll enjoy what this ship has to offer, Demon." With that, they left the hanger, and after a few moments, I decided to leave the hanger as well to explore the ship.

Within minutes of leaving the hanger, I found myself lost in the maze of corridors that comprised the Elsior. After about 10 minutes, I stumbled across a convenience store. "A store? On a Military vessel? Odd, wonder who's idea THAT was." I said to myself as I walked in the front door into the store. Once I cleared the door, I noticed it was a fairly decent size. Definitely larger than a lot of the stores I've been to over the years. There was a young man behind the counter restocking some of the products on the wall with his back to me. As I took a step forward to take a look around, he said, "Welcome to the store, is there any…" He stopped midsentence as he looked at me and realized who I was. Watching the color drain out of his face was a bit funny as he tried to compose himself. However, seeing as it was going to take him a minute from the look of it, I decided to answer the question he was going to ask.

"No, that's quite alright, I'm mainly just browsing around killing time. If I need anything, I'll be sure to let you know." With that, I walked towards the back of the store and began looking through a lot of the shelves and fridges.

Once I finished walking through the last aisle, I decided to grab a drink from the fridge and proceeded to walk up to the register, where the young man, who was still nervous, was waiting. "Did you find everything alright sir?" He managed to get out before I looked at him. I smirked and said, "Yes I did." I set the drink on the counter when I realized I had no money on me. The royal family paid for everything I needed over the years, so I never really had a need to carry money. Upon realizing this, I then said, "You know, I was going to buy this drink, however, I just realized, I don't have any money on me. So, I'll put this back and I'll be back later after I fix that." I went to grab the drink when he quickly said, "No charge. It's on the house for the Prince's personal guard."

I raised an eyebrow at him before I said, "You're sure?" He nodded quickly before continuing, "With each purchase, you receive a free draw in our lottery drawing. Care to try your luck….my lord?" He stammered out that last part as he realized how he phrased his question to me. Not going to lie, having people afraid of me was seriously getting annoying, however, nothing I could really do about it at this point. "Sure, what's the prize?" The clerk put a large spinning wheel on the counter and said, "The Grand prize is a 1000 credit shopping spree for the store." Looking at the wheel, I stood and waited as the clerk began to spin the wheel. In the wheel, was a small hole for the marble draw to pop out into the tray underneath it.

As I stood watching him spin the wheel, someone came into the store behind me, I immediately caught the scent of a female, though I didn't recognize it. I didn't turn to look, since I had no desire to know who came in, and I was waiting to see how my draw came out. No sooner had the door closed, a small golden marble popped out of the wheel and into the tray. The clerk looked at the marble with complete shock as a bent over and looked at it, asking, "So, did I win?"

The clerk dropped his head and nodded it sadly as I picked up the marble and looked at it closer with a smirk on my face.

That was when I saw her.

Standing behind me was a young girl, about 18 years old with bright pink, shoulder length hair that was parted with a hairband that resembled a garland with two large flowers as hairpins. She also had the most beautiful cerulean blue eyes I'd ever seen. She stood about 5'1, which was about the middle of his chest and wore the standard military jacket, but had a pink skirt with it. Gazing at her, I found myself in shock. For the first time in almost 400 years, I had a crush on a girl at first sight. Though, I quickly banished that thought, reminding myself that I'm a demon, I'm not allowed that privilege in life.

After locking her eyes with mine, she was the first to speak, "Congratulations on winning the store lottery!" I opened my mouth to say something, but no words came. Silently cursing myself, I closed my mouth, smiled and bowed lightly to her as I looked back at the store clerk and placed the marble back into the tray. "Go ahead and take the price of the drink out of that and give the rest to her."

She immediately jumped back in shock and quickly said, "WHAT!? No! I can't accept that, it's your prize! You should enjoy it!" The clerk looked at her and quickly looked back at me as I said, "I don't have much use for it, I'm only on board to escort Prince Shiva to wherever he decides to go from here. Besides…" I looked at her with a teasing smirk as I said, "…something tells me you'd have much better use for it than I would."

From that, I glared at the clerk as he said, "Understood, the winnings will go to Ms. Sakuraba, my lord." With that, I began to leave the store when she then said, "You're here with Prince Shiva? Does that mean you're the Demon of the West?" I stopped and chuckled as I looked back and said, "Guilty as charged."

She clapped her hands together and quickly said, "Wow! I've never met a demon before! Nice to meet you! Have you had a tour of the ship yet?"

I turned around, still holding my drink that I have yet to open, and said, "No, the Prince gave me free reign to go as I please, so I've been wandering around and this was the first place I came across. Why? Are you offering one?" She immediately leapt forward and said, "I'd love to show you around the ship!" With that, she grabbed my hand and proceeded to drag me out of the store, leaving the clerk in utter confusion on what just happened.

Once we reached the elevator, she let go of my hand and said, "We'll start with the engine room and work our way up!" I couldn't help but smile at her positive personality. She had a smile that you just couldn't help but smile back at. Plus, seeing as she wasn't afraid of me in the slightest, made me even more curious about her.

Making our way to the engine room, she briefly explained how the engine worked. Granted, I already knew how a Chrono string engine worked, since I had to learn about them before learning how to fly, but I let her explain since I enjoyed listening to her. As she was finishing up her explanation, the overhead speakers came on.

"Attention, Angel Wing, Demon of the West, your presence is respectfully requested on the bridge."

I looked over at Milfeulle who groaned a bit as she said, "Awww, but we just got started. Oh well, looks like the bridge is our next stop. This way Mr….actually, we never introduced each other, did we? I'm 2nd Lieutenant Milfeulle Sakuraba, but everyone calls me Milfie. What's your name?" She extended her hand as I smiled and shook it gently. "Pretty name, I'm the Demon of the West, though, you already knew that. I prefer to keep my name within a closed circle, so, for the time being, feel free to call me Demon. One day, I might tell you." I added a wink to the end of that, causing her to blush a bit before she said, "Aww, now I really want to know. Couldn't I get a hint, please?" I chuckled before saying, "Maybe later. For the moment, however, we're wanted on the bridge. Soooo…" This caused Milfeulle to jump a bit as she yelped, "Oh right! This way."

After making our way through what felt like a rats maze, we finally arrived on the bridge to find Tact, Lester and Luft standing with 4 other girls in different variations of the Imperial military uniform. Milfeulle walked over to the girls as I made my way towards Luft.

"Way to be late Milfie, honestly, don't you have any sense of priority?" The girl in the red dress snapped.

"I'm sorry, I was in the engine room giving Demon a tour of the ship when the call came over." Milfeulle meekly replied, causing everyone to give her a sharp look before glancing at me.

I approached Luft and said, "Alright Luft, them, I can understand being up here. Why am I up here?" Luft had a grave look on his face as he answered, "We've managed to find out who is leading this coup. Prince Shiva said that you deserve to know when I brief everyone else. So, with that said, operator, begin playback."

The Operator had short purple hair and wore the standard imperial military uniform responded, "Yes sir, beginning playback on the main screen." We all looked at the main screen and when the image came on, damn near all the color drained out of my face.

The leader of the coup was Eonia Transbaal. He had been my primary charge before his exile and I was given a new primary, which was now Shiva. Listening to the words of his speech, part of me was in shock. I had trained and taught him a great deal of what he knows. He'd been one of the more gifted students he'd ever taught. When his ideals for conquest became too extreme, he'd been exiled. I still remember the conversation I had with him before he left.

" _Eonia, come on, you know better than this. This goes against a lot of what I taught you. I'm telling you, it's not too late to apologize. I can speak with the King and smooth things over and we can go on like this whole thing never happened."_

" _I'm sorry old friend, but we have to look towards the future of the empire. Between the white moon holding its lost technology back, as well as our limited influence in the galaxy, we need to start looking at the bigger picture. You've been around for hundreds of years, I know you'll see that I'm right one day."_

All those memories came flooding back as Eonia declared himself the new king of the empire and went on asking for the white moons blessing of his ascension. I lost track of half of his speech and just felt numb. I raised and taught him from the time when he could barely walk until he went into exile. Now, here he stands, after having butchered his own blood and destroyed part of his home, claiming to be the rightful ruler of the Transbaal empire.

This cannot be happening.

"Uhh, Demon, are you alright?"

I looked at Luft, noticing everyone giving me an extremely worried look before I said, "I'll…manage. What's our next move?"

Luft glanced at Tact before continuing, "We were going to make our way to Criom, but the imperial forces there were completely destroyed. So, now we don't have a choice but to make our way to Rhome."

The only thing I could say was, "How long will that take?"

Luft quickly responded, "About 2 weeks if we don't run into any trouble."

I nodded and said, "Understood, I'll need to speak with the Prince about this. Milfeulle, I sincerely apologize, we'll have to finish that tour later." She looked at me with a sad look and nodded. Somehow, I think she already knew what I was feeling. I turned to leave the bridge before Luft stopped me.

"Wait a moment Demon, don't you want to meet the rest of the angel wing?"

I looked at him, then at the girls that were across from the men before I said, "Very well. Odds are they're already familiar with who I am, so we can skip that part."

The girl in the red dress from earlier was the first to step forward. She hand long blonde hair, with a pair of hairpins to keep her hair back. She looked around the same age as Milfeulle, if not a bit older. She was also in great physical shape, judging from the toned muscle structure throughout her body. She rendered a salute and said, "Ranpha Franboise, a pleasure." She took a step backwards, stepping on Milfeulle's foot, causing her to yelp out in pain and start nursing her foot, causing me to smirk a bit.

Next was a younger girl. She looked younger than Milfeulle and Ranpha, though, not by much. She was also one of the shorter members of the group. She had short blue hair and wore a modified imperial uniform that flared into a skirt. The most curious thing I couldn't help but notice was the second set of ears on her head. They resembled rabbit ears, but I couldn't tell if they enhanced her hearing, or if it was just a useless genetic mutation. At that same token, however, I got the distinct feeling like someone was trying to worm their way into my head when she looked at me. She lightly curtsied and said, "Mint Blancmanche. It's very nice to meet you." I bowed my head lightly in silent response.

An older girl then raised her hand and placed it on the tip of the cap she was wearing. She stood about the same height as Ranpha, though not nearly as physically toned. That wasn't to say she was out of shape, but she also held a more withdrawn stance. As if she was more like the older sister of the group than anything. She wore a modified uniform that had a purple undershirt and wore a pistol on the right side of her waist, which I couldn't help but notice. "I'm Forte Stollen, a pleasure and an honor."

Lastly, was the girl standing beside Mint. She hadn't said a word up until this point, which immediately made me think that she was more introverted than the rest of the group. She stood maybe an inch shorter than Mint, but judging from her look, I would venture to say she was easily the youngest member of the group. She had green hair that was tied back into a ponytail and wore the standard imperial uniform. What really caught my attention was the animal that was on her shoulder. It resembled something akin to a lemur, but at the same time, the scent it gave off wasn't one that should match an animal like that, it felt more…artificial. She rendered a salute and said, "Vanilla H, an honor."

I bowed my head to the ladies and looked to Luft before saying, "Anything else, or can I go ahead and go now?" I had nothing against those ladies, but at the same time, I seriously did not want to be around anyone at the moment, given the circumstances. Luft had an apologetic look on his face before he said, "No, that was all." With that, I turned heel and began to leave the bridge, but stopped shortly before reaching the door and asked, "Where is the Prince?" Milfeulle leapt forward and said, "I can show you! We can consider it part of the tour." Tact looked at her and said, "While you're at it Milfie, could you show him his quarters? They're the guest quarters on B deck." She nodded happily and walked up to me and said, "This way." I followed her off the bridge, once the door closed behind me, I could faintly hear some of the comments that were said.

"Talk about rude, you'd have thought he'd at least have a bit of courtesy."

"Ease up Ranpha, he's taking Eonia's involvement a lot harder than anyone for a good reason."

"All that means is that he could…"

By that point, I was out of earshot. Milfeulle looked back at me as we boarded the elevator and said, "Demon, I couldn't help but notice your reaction to Eonia's speech. Are you ok?"

I was touched. She showed concern where others would have just left it alone. Part of me wanted to tell her I was fine but another part wanted to tell that this whole thing was quite possibly my fault, since I basically raised him. After a split second, I made a decision…..fuck it.

"Not really, Eonia was my previous charge before Prince Shiva. I raised and taught him from when he was a toddler until the day he went into exile. Somehow, I don't know how, but what I taught him got twisted up along the way, which led to him getting exiled. I tried to get him to come back from that line of thinking, but it just wasn't happening. Now, we have a coup led by him. This whole damn thing is my fault. He used what I taught him to bring ruin and destruction to the empire."

Milfeulle placed a consoling hand on my pauldron as she said, "It's not your fault. You couldn't have known this would happen. You did your best to try and teach him how to be good, I'm sure of it. Don't blame yourself for this." I looked at her and saw sincerity in her eyes. She meant every word. The only thing I could do was pat her hand before the elevator doors opened up. She stepped forward and I followed.

Upon arriving at the throne room, I asked Milfeulle if she would be willing to wait for a few minutes. She smiled and nodded before I entered the throne room. It wasn't nearly as large as the one in the Imperial palace, but it was large in its own right. Shiva was over by the throne, staring at it when I entered. As the door closed behind me, I walked forward, causing her to turn and look at me.

"You know?"

"Yeah, of all the things I was expecting him to do, this was definitely not one of them." I placed my hands on my hips in slight frustration at the idea.

"My cousin is a traitor to the empire. I know you have a very long history with him, since you were his guardian before becoming mine and you spent years raising him. I have to know…"

My gaze shot immediately to her as I already knew where this was going. "Are you serious? I spent over 120 years with your family, guarding and raising generation after generation. Do you really think that little of me? I get we have a history and that, for lack of better phrasing, this whole damn coup is my fault, but to be accused of having questionable loyalties? Really? I tried my best to get him to change his line of thinking. The fact that it didn't work is the reason we're in this mess. I pulled you out of the jaws of hell because I still remember how your great grandfather took me in where the rest of the planet feared me."

Shiva stood in shock. This was the first time I'd taken a harsh tone of voice with her. She looked down a bit before finishing, "I'm sorry. I should have known better. This coup isn't your fault, it's his. Will you accept my apology Howard?"

I softened my look as I said, "Of course. The last thing I want is to lose you too. It's bad enough that Eonia was almost like a son to me, and now he's running amok. I don't want to lose the closest thing I have to a daughter to me as well."

She walked to me and hugged me, to which I chuckled kneeled down to allow her to do so easier.

When she broke the hug, she then said, "I want to go back. We need to rally the imperial guard and take back our home."

I sighed a bit before saying, "Shiva, the imperial guard is in pieces and scattered. The only thing we can do at the moment is to fall back and regroup. I can fight your battles, but even I can't fight a war for you."

She was slightly hurt at the reality of the situation, but nodded as she said, "Right, this whole mess is just…"

"I know better than anyone."

Shiva just looked at me before saying, "I'm going to go ahead and get some rest. We've had a long day and it's going to be a long trip. I suggest you do the same."

I merely chuckled as I said, "Sounds like someone needs to take a nap. Ha ha ha." Shiva just glared at me before saying, "Alright, you can have that one." To that, I bowed and left the throne room, where Milfeulle was standing and waiting for me.

She looked at me as the door closed and said, "Ready?"


	3. Chapter 3: Establishing Boundaries

_**Chapter 3: Establishing boundaries**_

We made our way to the elevator and then proceeded to the ship's gym. Upon entering the gym, we found Ranpha dressed in workout attire beating up a punching bag with an extreme amount of force. Watching the force behind each of her blows made me wonder if she'd be able to stand toe to toe with me in a sparring match.

She'd be the first if she could.

After throwing a kick that almost knocked the bag off its chain, she turned to us and said, "You guys were in here? I didn't hear you come in."

Milfeulle had a big smile on her face and said, "We're back on our tour of the ship and figured he'd like to see the gym. Ranpha walked over to us and said, "When do you plan on coming down here to work out with me? You said you would, and it looks like you put on a few centimeters since then."

Milfeulle yelped out and said, "What!? No, I can't be putting on weight. I won't let that happen!" She then hopped on a bike and started pedaling, leaving me with Ranpha as she looked me and said, "What about you? Is all that armor just for show, or are you going to work out too?"

I laughed at the comment before I said, "Ranpha, you couldn't even begin to imagine the amount of strength I have, let alone the rest of what goes behind it. If anything, I'm pretty sure if there's one person in the galaxy that could actually get in a ring with me and not get hurt in the first 5 seconds, it's probably you."

Ranpha just threw me a glare before saying, "Well, if you're so confident…"

She threw a kick towards my head, but given my enhanced reflexes, it seemed like it was moving at the pace of a farm animal. I immediately brought up my left arm and stopped the kick about 6 inches from my head as it made contact with the padded gauntlet I was wearing.

"Not bad, but how about…"

She then dropped her leg and brought the other one up using a hop step technique. Now, let's keep in mind here. I was doing hand to hand combat the better part of 350 years before she was born. So you really have to ask yourself, is this really going to go anywhere?

I ducked down, allowing the leg to fly past where my head had been as she brought it back to the ground. At this point, Milfeulle saw what was going on and jumped off the bike and ran over, yelling, "Ranpha! Stop it!"

Ranpha, however, didn't pay her any mind and continued to press the attack.

With each successive strike she threw, I blocked each one with the same amount of force that was put into it. Surprisingly, she was stronger than even I had originally thought, and I actually had to use some of my strength to hold her back. Granted, I still had to hold back to keep from hurting her unintentionally, but I don't think she noticed.

After about a minute of almost constant back and forth and hearing Milfeulle yelling for her to stop, I decided enough was enough. Ranpha threw out another kick which gave me the opportunity to end this. I caught her leg, which surprised her and I shot forward with a punch of my own. The force of my punch knocked her off her feet and into one the punching bags across the room, leaving her sprawled on the floor.

I quickly ran over to her with Milfeulle because I thought I accidentally hurt her. When both of us hovered over her looking at her, she had the funniest look of surprise on her face. I had to restrain myself from laughing as I asked, "Are you ok?" Ranpha huffed and said, "I'm perfectly fine, I just wanted to lie here for a minute, you got lucky with that punch." All I did was cock an eyebrow at her response before offering her a hand up, which she accepted.

As we walked through the hallway, Milfeulle repeatedly kept asking me if I was alright. That little scrap with Ranpha didn't hurt me, but there was no convincing this girl. "Milfeulle, for the 18th time, I'm perfectly fine. Between my strength and these gauntlets, Ranpha didn't hurt me at all. I'm more worried if I actually hurt her putting a stop to that. Though, I do appreciate the thought. I don't get that kind of concern very often." Adding a smile onto the end of that made her blush and shut right up as we made our way to the firing range onboard.

As we entered the firing range, we found Forte staring at a target down range with a gold revolver in her holster. After about 10 seconds of silence, she drew the holster and fired all six rounds downrange, hitting the target. As soon as she finished, she stood for a moment and spun around to bring the gun to bear on us. I instinctively leapt in front of Milfeulle and held my claws up before Forte lifted the revolver and said, "Good reflexes, though, you would have been shot if I didn't already know better."

I looked at her with a sheepish look and said, "Bullets would not help you against me, even if I wasn't wearing all this armor. One of the perks of being me." Both of the girls looked at me in surprise at that statement before Milfeulle asked, "Are you bulletproof?" I smirked and looked at her as I replied, "I wouldn't say bulletproof, I'd still bleed if I was shot, but it won't do any real harm or kill me. If anything, it'll just get me irritated. I would heal from the wounds within a day or two." Milfeulle just looked at me with the same kind of look that you would see a toddler give after getting a new toy. Forte, on the other hand, wasn't nearly as entertained.

"Oh really? Can't say I've ever met a man that can take a bullet and not cry about it."

"You're assuming I'm a typical human. That is your first mistake. Ranpha just made that same mistake a few minutes ago."

Forte's eyebrows shot up as she looked at us and asked, "What happened?"

Milfeulle explained how Ranpha started attacking me for no reason and how I held her off before ending the fight with one punch that sent her across the room. Forte looked at me for a minute before she started laughing. "You managed to best Ranpha? Oh boy, you know she's going to be gunning after you for payback now. Ha ha ha!"

I laughed as I said, "I believe gunning would be your shtick." Motioning towards the revolver, which made them both laugh as Forte said, "Alright, fair enough. Speaking of which, how good would you say your aim is?"

Considering I've spent the last 120 years learning how to use energy firearms as per the request of the King, gee, I wonder.

"I would say fairly decent. Though, I prefer to get…up close with my targets. "I lifted and flexed my right set of claws, causing several small cracks to pop from my hand as she said, "I don't doubt those are useful, but I think you could benefit from some firearms training."

I had to laugh at this. I've spent the last 130 years (well, 128 technically) pretty much trying everything between claws to rockets, and she thinks she can train me?

This ought to be good.

"You know what, just for my curiosity, I'll take you up on that. I want to see what makes you so confident with that. Though, it'll have to wait for another time, seeing as I promised Milfeulle that we would finish the tour of the ship."

Forte looked over at her, then had a coy look on her face before she said, "Alright, have fun, be sure to stay out of trouble." I raised an eyebrow before we turned and left the firing range. Once we were clear of the firing range, I couldn't help but wonder what that look was for.

Our next stop was the tea lounge, yes, they ACTUALLY had a tea lounge. I was surprised at this fact alone, but we found Mint sitting at a table by herself sipping on a cup of tea. The rabbit like ears on her head twitched a bit as she lowered the cup. Upon setting the cup down, she grabbed a cherry and ate it, causing her face to light up with joy and making her rabbit like ears twitch again. While I didn't say anything, those ears were seriously bugging me. Honestly, what were they there for?

"Hi Mint! Mind if we join you for a little bit? I'm showing Demon around the ship." Milfeulle happily chimed to the girl.

Mint stood up and said, "Absolutely, I'd love the company!" She motioned for us to sit in a fair of fancy looking chairs. I hesitated as Milfeulle sat down looking at the chair and said, "I don't want to seem disrespectful, but I think I'll stand. I don't want to break the chair." The two girls looked at me, looking at my armor and tails before Mint said, "I'm confident the chair will hold you perfectly fine, though, it may feel a bit awkward with those tails behind you."

I sighed as I thought, ' _Ok, if you insist.'_

Mint spoke up with her oh-so-innocent smile and replied, "I do."

My look immediately shot to her as I tilted my head, thinking, _'Did she just read my thoughts?'_

She then answered, "It's rather rude to not use your mouth, especially in present company."

As I slowly sat down in the chair, I could feel the wood straining under my weight, but it held up as I asked, "Are you a telepath?" Mint smiled and replied, "Yes, it's one of the unique things about my family. It can be quite handy at times." Milfeulle was lost at this point wondering what just happened before I said, "Don't you think it's a bit…I don't know, rude to probe someone's thoughts without permission?"

Mint simply smiled and said, "I can't help if someone's thoughts are loud enough for me to overhear."

' _Smooth.'_

"Thank you."

' _Stop that!'_

"May I say no?"

' _What!? No, you can't say no. Wait…god damn it.'_

"It's rude to use such vulgar language."

I simply leered at her while she wore one of her 'oh-so-innocent' smiles. Milfeulle, the poor girl, was completely lost at this point as she kept looking back and forth between us. The look on her face was actually kinda cute.

"So, Mint, what's it like…"

No sooner did I get the word like out, the chair broke apart under me, causing me to fall to the ground. I sighed as I laid on the ground in the pile of wood while the two girls shot up out of their seats and ran over to me.

Milfeulle was the first to ask. "Demon! Are you alright?"

Next came Mint within seconds after that. "You're not hurt are you?"

I felt the wood sticking me, I wouldn't say it hurt, per se. More like felt really uncomfortable, like how your should would feel cramped if you slept on it wrong. I slowly sat up and stood up, with the two girls placing their arms under each of mine (not that it did any good, but it was the thought that counted) to help me up.

"I'm fine, though, I can't quite say the same thing about the chair." Looking back at the pile of wood, I shook my head, then looked back at the girls, who were both horrified. I raised an eyebrow and said, "That's why I didn't want to sit down. I'll get the chair replaced as soon as possible."

Milfeulle was the first to say something.

"You're bleeding!"

I looked around, until I looked at my legs, seeing wooden spikes sticking out of my legs and out of my butt.

"Oh, would you look at that?"

The girls quickly stepped forward to grab napkins off the table, to which I said, "That won't be necessary. Once I get these out, my blood will clot the wounds within seconds and they'll be gone within a day." What I did next completely left the two girls in utter horror.

One by one, I ripped out the wooden spikes from my legs, spattering blood onto the pile of wood next to me as I dropped each of the spikes.

"NO! Don't do that, you'll make it worse!" I heard Milfeulle cry out.

I pulled the last spike out of my butt cheek (I will admit that one did not feel pleasant at all) and tossed it to the side as well. True to my word, the wounds were clotted within seconds and I wasn't bleeding anymore. However, now my pants, which were pure white, were now coated red from the blood.

"I told you, Milfeulle, it's fine. Though, now I'm going to have to get these bleached if I want to get all the blood out."

Both of the girls were uncomfortable at the sight of blood before Milfeulle spoke up, "We'll head to the medical bay! Vanilla can help you!" She grabbed my hand and pulled me into the hallway. I barely had time to say bye and sorry to Mint before we were gone.

I honestly felt so bad for Mint right now. I basically just broke one of her chairs (well, the lounge's chair, technically), bled onto the pile of splinters, then ran out, leaving her to clean up the mess. I looked at Milfeulle as she ran through the hallways, pulling me along and not letting go for a moment until we reached the medical bay. Upon arriving at the medical bay, I looked around and noticed it looked almost exactly like a fully equipped hospital.

Granted, being in deep space with no access to one, it probably was.

The Doctor that was there was standing by Vanilla, she noticed us come blazing in as she said, "Hello Milfeulle, and…oh! My lord, welcome to medical bay. I'm Doctor Cera, how may I…?

"Demon accidentally broke one of the chairs in the lounge and was stabbed by some of the pieces!" Pointing to my blood stained pants.

I put a couple of clawed fingers to my head as I said, "You know, you're making this out to be way worse than it actually is. I already told you, I'll be fully healed from this within the day."

Not believing me, or not listening, she gave Vanilla a sad puppy dog eyed look as Vanilla calmly said, "Very well, I will fix it. Please step forward."

Raising an eyebrow, I couldn't help but wonder what was going on. If she was going the route of stitches, I couldn't begin to tell you how fast out that door I would be. Not a very big fan of needles after the whole, uh, chromosome incident.

She kneeled down in front of me and examined the bloodstains on my pants, which prompted me to say, "Seriously, I'm going to be fine. I've handled and survived WAY worse wounds than this. It was just…"

Vanilla held up her hand over the pant leg, and the lemur-like animal on her shoulder lit up, turned into a stream of light and flowed down her arm and onto my pant leg. Within seconds, the blood on my pants was gone, and, much to my surprise, so were the wounds.

She stood back up and said, "Treatment complete." I blinked blankly a few times looking back and forth between the Doctor, Milfeulle, and Vanilla before I finally said, "What the hell was that?"

I probably could have phrased that a bit better, but I was in shock at what I just saw since I had no explanation for it.

Doctor Cera was the one who answered this time. "Vanilla has the unique ability to use nano-machines to treat wounds on people, and apparently she can also do dry-cleaning. I learned something new today." I couldn't help but laugh at her joke, as did Milfeulle. Vanilla, on the other hand, maintained a calm and collected look on her face while I calmed down.

Even though that kind of unsettled me a bit, I couldn't help but smile as I said, "Thank you Vanilla. Hopefully, next time, I can actually convince Milfeulle to let my body do the work as opposed to dragging me down here again. Though, I can't complain with the results, you can clean a mean set of pants, let me tell you." I laughed a bit at my own joke, as did Milfeulle and the Doctor. Though, again, Vanilla didn't even so much as twitch before she responded, "You're welcome."

As we said our farewells, Milfeulle and I made our way through the corridors and went into the park next. It was much larger than I expected and I was in surprise that something that looked so natural was maintained so well on a space vessel.

"This is the park. It's a great place to come and relax during down time and also a great place to have a picnic. Oh, that reminds me, I want to hold a picnic to welcome Tact aboard. Since you're new on board as well, we can also welcome you on board as well. What do you think?"

"A picnic? God, I haven't been to a picnic in….two, no, three hundred…..actually, now that I think about it, I don't think I've ever been to a picnic before."

Milfeulle clapped her hands together and said happily, "Then it's settled, we'll have a picnic here at 1430. Would you mind going to everyone and inviting them to come?"

"Wait, what? Hold on a sec there, why me?"

"Because I'll need to get started cooking now if I'm going to get everything ready in time, good luck!" To that she ran out of the park before I could answer her.

"Well….shit."

It was 1300, so I had an hour and a half to figure out where everyone was at, invite them, and find Milfeulle. And let's not forget to mention I barely had a handle on where a couple of things were at.

Perfect.

So, since I knew the bridge wasn't far, I made my way down the hall to the bridge. There, I found Tact and Lester talking about the coup. Tact was the first to notice me walk onto the bridge and quickly said, "My lord! Welcome to the bridge, is there something we can help you with?"

I looked at him and said, "Actually, funny story. So check this out…"

After explaining the whole situation to him, he nodded his head and said, "A picnic is a great idea to get everyone's spirits up after the last couple of days. Count me in!"

"Great, sooooo, can I get your help inviting people? I have no clue where half of everything is yet. I remember where the bridge is and where Prince Shiva's audience chamber is as well as a couple of other places, but remembering which decks they're on is what's screwing me up."

Tact looked to Lester and said, "You mind covering for me while I sort this out. I know you still have half an hour…"

Lester waved him off, "Go on, I was going to relieve you early anyway. Try not to get into too much trouble." Tact looked at him with worry and said, "What's that supposed to mean?" Lester just shook his head and shooed him off. To that, we left the bridge.

As we hopped onto the elevator, I said, "So, how do you want to do this? I get one deck, you get another and we meet back up on the last deck?"

Tact looked at me and said, "Sounds like a good plan. I'll take Deck B. You want to get Deck C?"

I nodded as the doors opened up to Deck B and Tact stepped off and said, "See you on Deck D." The doors closed and I made my way to Deck C. I stepped off the elevator and began to make my way down the corridor. As I made my way around the corner, I remembered Milfeulle explaining these were where their quarters were. _'Well, let's see if anyone is home.'_

Each of the quarters had name plates on them and as I read each name plate, I knocked on each door. Forte, nobody home. Ranpha, also empty. As I knocked on Mint's door, I heard a slight shuffle as I thought, _'Huh, looks like I caught someone at home.'_ As soon as the door opened, I was greeted by the telepath standing before me.

"Oh, Demon, this is a pleasant surprise. What can I help you with?"

I smiled and said, "First, allow me to apologize for leaving you in the lounge with that mess. I tried to explain to Milfeulle that I was fine, but she dragged me all the way to the Medical bay."

She casually waved her hand as she said, "It's quite alright, I was more worried for your well-being as opposed to a chair. Besides, the crew had the mess cleaned within minutes of you leaving, so it's perfectly alright."

' _Still, I felt bad for breaking a chair, bleeding over the splinters then leaving you to clean the mess up.'_

"Trust me, if I was that worried about it, you would know."

' _Bweh, again? Stop that!'_

"May I say no?"

I simply leered at her as she wore one of her now signature oh-so-innocent looks as I then said, "Ok, the other reason I'm down here is Milfeulle is setting up a picnic at 1430 in the viewing park and would like to invite you to attend with the rest of the Angel wing, as well as Tact and myself."

She placed a hand on her chin in thought before she responded, "I'd love to! I'll be sure to bring the tea and some sweets to go with them. Thank you for letting me know and I'll see you there."

I bowed lightly as she stepped back into her room and I made my way down the hall. Milfeulle's room, I could hear her cooking away through the door, so I figured best not to disturb her yet. Vanilla's room, unfortunately, not there either. "Great, only one person on this deck? I hope Tact had better luck than I did."

As I made my way back to the elevator, I tried to take note of where the rooms were, in case I needed to track them down again later. Once the doors to the elevator opened, I was greeted by Tact, who was making his way down to Deck D. "Ahh, good timing, I was just on my way to meet up with you. Did you find anyone here?" He asked.

"I found Mint and let her know. I heard Milfeulle running around in her room, so I figured I wouldn't disturb her until we were all done."

Tact smiled and said, "Great, I managed to find Vanilla and Forte in the tea lounge on Deck B. All that leaves is Ranpha."

"Great, round 2."

"Huh?"

"Nothing."

Once the doors opened up to Deck D, we made our way to the gym, where, surprise surprise, we found Ranpha going to town on a punching bag. I held up a hand and said, "You might want to stand over here for the moment. I think she might still be irked from earlier."

"What happened earlier?"

"You'll find out soon enough" was all I said as I walked over to Ranpha. "Hi Ran…"

I quickly threw up my arm and blocked the punch that got redirected towards my head as I finished, "…pha."

She just glared at me, pulling her hand back and said, "What do you want? Come to gloat?"

I raised an eyebrow and said, "Gloat? Why would I…you know what, never mind. Anyway, Milfeulle is setting up a picnic and wanted to invite you to come with the…"

"No. Now beat it."

Did she just tell me, ME, of all people, to beat it? Wrong answer.

"Ranpha, I'm not taking no for an answer. And if I have to drag you there kicking and screaming the whole way, you better believe I'll do it in a heartbeat. I'm not going to go through the whole song and dance just to have one person not show up. So, unless you want another demonstration of my strength, I strongly…encourage…" adding a smile to that before I finished, "…that you come to the picnic."

Ranpha just glared at me before looking over at Tact, who was standing quietly over at the side, probably for fear of getting hit if he said something, as she said, "Give me one good reason why I should go."

Seriously? Oy…

I shrugged my shoulders and said, "Milfeulle's cooking the food for it. All your friends will be there, it's a nice setting in the park right now. Uhhh, not really sure what you're looking for here."

Ranpha looked back at me before saying, "Alright, I'll go."

"Awesome, 1430 in the viewing park."

"Got it."

As I turned to leave, she then added, "Oh, by the way…"

I turned to look at her and narrowly managed to sidestep out of the way of a punch she threw at me. To which, I patted her head, said, "Good try" and walked over to Tact, leaving her standing there with a mixed look of frustration and surprise.

While Tact and I were riding the elevator, he said, "I'll go ahead and meet you in the park. I want to see if I can find a good spot for the picnic."

The door opened to Deck C, but I stopped and said, "Hey Tact, what are your thoughts on the angel wing?"

He looked surprised at my question for a moment before he said, "They're dedicated and they're also reliable. I'm still fairly new onboard, so I couldn't go much further than that. Why?"

I shook my head and said, "No reason, just curious." To which I left him in the elevator and made my way back to Milfeulle's room.

Even before I reached her room, I caught the smell of eggs cooking along with several other scents. Having a heightened sense of smell has its perks. It smelled amazing just from here. Once I reached her room, I knocked on the door, to hear, "Who is it?"

I decided to be a bit playful, "Just a stray dog looking for a good meal." Wait, since when am I playful? Oh well…

"Ahh, Demon, come on in, I'm almost done cooking."

I opened the door and was blasted in the face with the scent of what felt like a flood gate worth of food. It was so good, but also extremely overpowering. I walked over to the kitchen, to find Milfeulle running around like a chicken with its head cut off. The way she was bouncing around, you would think she was a superball.

"I'm almost done getting everything ready. Did you invite everyone?"

I leaned against the wall as I replied, "Yeah, Tact helped me out since I'm still working to remember where everything is at. Ranpha is still a bit…angry about earlier. Any ideas on how to cheer her up?"

She smiled and looked at me before saying, "I've got just the thing. The Ranpha special. Want to try it?" Sliding a carton over to me with a fork as I looked at it with curiosity, the scent that was coming from it was overpowering and stank strongly of pepper and chili powder.

"The Ranpha special? You sure she'd be ok with me picking at her food?"

"One bite won't hurt, plus, she won't know." Tossing me a wink.

"Oooo, look at you, dancing on the other side of the fence. Alright, why not?"

Little did I know.

I took the fork and scooped up a small bit of meat and a couple of noodles and took the bite. I tossed the fork into the sink, saying, "This is actually pretty…"

Then it hit me.

It started out small, making me say, "Whew, bit of spice there." But it didn't stop. It grew, and grew, and grew until I was walking around swearing up and down at the fire that had erupted in my mouth. Milfeulle offered me a glass of water, but I said, "No, I'll just wait for this to burn itself out. Damn, what the hell woman? What did you do, reach into the depths of hell, pull a fire out and threw it in her food. Fucking hell!" I walked around for a few more minutes while she finished up her cooking, but gave me a worried look as I gave in to my own suffering.

"Just so you know that is the last time I try anything you make that has the word 'special' in it."

Milfeulle giggled a bit as she said, "Yeah, she likes really spicy foods, so I learned how to make that for her. She really enjoys it. I haven't met anyone that can handle that heat. I know I can't. Are you sure you don't want a glass of water or something?"

I shook my head as the heat began to fade away. "No, water will only make it reflash and then I'd be in even bigger trouble. I'll be fine in a minute." God, how I was dreading later now that I thought about it. My life is going to suck here in a few hours.

After we finished packing everything up and my mouth had gone out, we made our way carrying everything to the elevator. Once we stepped into the elevator, Milfeulle jumped and said, "Oh, I forgot blankets. We'll have to swing by the convenience store to pick a few up." I smiled and nodded, remembering that grand prize I gave her earlier, so I knew that was covered.

Making our way into the park, we found everyone waiting by the tree conversing amongst each other as we drew closer carrying everything up the hill. Ranpha was the first to notice us as she said, "You told us to be here at 1430 and you can't even be on time to your own gig?"

I quickly said, "Sorry, we had to make a stop on our way here to pick up blankets. Luckily, the store was having a sale on them, so we were able to cover what we needed."

As soon as I finished my sentence, Forte's expression took a noticeable dip, Mint's smile looked like she was struggling to keep it pasted on, and the color from Ranpha's face completely drained. I was completely lost at their reactions as they quickly started talking.

"Is that right? Well, that's good, let's get going and start eating."

"I agree, let's enjoy Milfie's wonderful cooking."

I was so lost, and looking at Milfeulle, her expression dipped as well. Something about their reactions hurt her, though, truthfully, I have no idea why. I'll have to ask about that later.

Within a few minutes, we had the blankets laid out and Milfeulle started pulling out small plates and different foods. She passed Ranpha a carton, which I immediately knew what it was and dubbed 'Demon's bane', making me slide a bit to towards Milfeulle. As she pulled out an omelet, I looked at her and said, "You managed to pull all of this off in an hour and a half? I'm impressed."

Milfeulle blushed slightly as she said, "It was nothing. Here, try this omelet. It has ham, cheese and mushrooms in it with a hint of bell peppers."

She took a fork and cut a small piece off and fed it to me. I sat there, enjoying the taste before I came to a realization. She just fed me. What is going on with me, that's also something I don't do.

"That's really good. I haven't had anything this good in a few centuries. You're an amazing chef Milfeulle."

This caused her to blush a bit as we heard Forte chime in, "Oi, what do we have here, the big bad Demon of the West is flirting with our Milfeulle? This is priceless."

WHAT?!

I looked over at her and said, "All I said was she was a great cook. I really haven't had anything this good in a few hundred years. What, I'm not allowed to compliment someone without it being seen as flirting?"

Forte and Ranpha both had coy looks as Mint chimed in, "I believe your wording was that she was an amazing chef, not great. So, you tell us."

' _Keep this up, and I promise you, I will make your life miserable. I'm a Demon, I'm very good at that.'_

Mint simply put on her oh-so-innocent smile and said, "Now now, Demon, no need to get testy simply because we noticed that you were flirting with Milfie."

Everyone's gaze shot to Mint before I gave her a 'don't you dare' look. That, however, didn't detract her from her smile. She had me in a corner and she knew it.

Before anyone could ask, we heard a separate voice, "Hey! You guys are having a picnic today too?"

It was Dr. Cera and some of the operations crew. Apparently, they decided to have their own picnic today as well and set up their spot a little ways away from ours. I couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at the timing. Did Tact say something to them about it?

Before I could ask that question however, I was cut off by yet another voice. "Hey, what are the odds? You decided to eat here too?"

It was the maintenance crew from the hanger I saw when we first arrived. I guess they got some down time and decided to have a barbeque. Only reason I say that is I saw two of them carrying a grill over to the other side of the hill. Part of me kinda had a feeling where that was going to go.

Not waiting for things to get more crowded, I stood up and yelled over to the maintenance crew, "Don't even think about lighting that grill. We all know what will happen if you do." They yelled back, "It's all good, it's a smokeless grill, so we should be fine."

I shook my head and grumbled a bit before Milfeulle looked at me and said, "Demon, we're here to relax and enjoy ourselves. Please sit with us." I looked over at her, then back at them, then turned and sat back down with everyone.

After a few minutes of talking and eating, I heard Milfeulle yelp. I looked over at her and there was a drop of water on the back of her hand. Then I felt a couple drops hit my head, causing me to look up.

Of…course…

Within seconds, it was pouring down water. Everyone got up and scrambled towards the exit, except for Mint, who took out an umbrella and calmly walked towards the exit. Why she had an umbrella, not going to lie, had me thinking did she know that was going to happen. As soon as the water started coming down, I scrambled to get all of the food back into the basket and quickly grabbed it and hid it under my tails as I made my way towards the exit as well.

The food was mostly dry, as was the basket. However, I was completely drenched and I could feel it in my armor. Upon exiting the park, my hair was dripping with water onto my face while everyone was shaking off the water. I walked towards Milfeulle and before I could do anything, I heard Tact say, "What happened?"

"The fire suppression system went off from the heat the grill was giving off." Forte answered.

Milfeulle sadly said, "I'm sorry."

This made me look at her with a raised eyebrow. Both Tact and I said, "Why are you apologizing?" We looked at each other before chuckling a bit, then back to Milfeulle, but it was Mint who answered the question.

"Milfeulle has an extremely large amount of luck. Either it's good, or it's bad. In this case, this was caused by her bad luck."

Ranpha then chimed in, "Of course this would happen. Should have already known that after all these years, but no, I completely ignored it in favor of trying to be a team player. Thanks Milfie."

Hearing them blame her for this was getting on my nerves. I could physically feel the rage building up before I said, "Don't you dare blame her for this!"

Everyone looked at me in shock, including Milfeulle, as I continued, "Let me tell you something, I have a pretty large amount of luck myself, thus why I'm the only known demon in existence. By all accounts I should be dead several times over. So, how do you know it was her luck that did it? For all you know, it was mine that did it and hers offset it to only be the sprinklers as opposed to burning down the whole damn space. Or better yet, the maintenance crew, who II specifically told not to light that damn thing, completely ignoring me and doing it anyway."

Everyone just looked at me in silent shock as I continued, "For a team, you guys royally suck at watching each other's backs. My god. I'm the only demon in existence and I get along better with teams than you lot do."

Milfeulle was the first to say something, "Demon…"

I turned and walked towards her, pulling the basket from under my tails as I said, "I saved as much of it as I could." I gave her the basket, causing her to blush profusely, patted her shoulder and walked down the passageway towards the guest room I had been given. Milfeulle showed me where it was during our tour, so I made sure it was one of the first places I remembered how to get to.

Nobody said another word as I walked away. Whether it was shock or surprise, I don't know, but hopefully…

I got my point across.


	4. Chapter 4: Battles Begin

_**Chapter 4: Battles begin**_

I had spent the last half an hour in my room drying my tails, as well as the rest of my clothes. It was the only thing I could focus on while trying to calm down. I came dangerously close to losing control of myself, over something stupid, no less. I haven't lost control in 300 years and I wasn't about to break that streak.

Within seconds of getting the last of my armor back on, the alarms went off through the main speakers. I immediately ran out of my room and made my way to the bridge.

Upon entering the bridge, I found Luft with Tact and Lester and the Angel wing standing by as Luft was looking over the situation on a radar screen. I walked past the Angels, all of them looking at me in surprise, directly up to Luft and said, "What's going on?"

Luft turned to me and said, "Demon, good timing. We dropped out of chrono drive to do some maintenance on the main engines when we got a hit of radar contact not too far from us. An enemy fleet is moving to intercept us, and our engines are still down. We have an allied fleet running escort for us, but we won't be able to get the engines back up before the enemy reaches us."

Tact placed a hand under his chin as he said, "Hmmm, could we use the emblem frames to fight our way out?"

Luft shook his head and said, "No, there are too many ships. We're easily outnumbered and would just be throwing ourselves at their feet."

Before I could ask anything, the operator with purple hair from before quickly said, "Sir, we're being hailed!"

Luft raised an eyebrow as he said, "Hailed? Hmm, that's odd. Normally we deal with unmanned ships. Open a channel, Almo."

Almo responded, "Yes Sir!"

Upon opening the channel, an older man with a grizzled look and a full beard came over and declared, "Ahem, this is the Legitimate Transbaal Imperial Fleet. I am Lt. Cmdr. Rezom Mea Zomu! This is a warning to the dogs chasing the tail of the old regime. You will surrender the Elsior and the Emblem Frames at once! I will leave you with your lives if you comply. It is a generous offer."

Tact looked at the screen and said, "May I ask a question?"

Rezom responded, "I will allow it. You are magnanimous."

Tact then continued, "So, if you're from the Legitimate Transbaal Empire, that means you were dispatched by the Legitimate Transbaal Empire." I looked at him with a sarcastic look as Rezom stammered at his response. Tact then finished, "If you're part of the Legitimate Transbaal Empire's fleet, then could you direct us to Transbaals main store?"

I facepalmed at his response. Of all the times to be a smartass, he had to pick now.

Of course, Rezom was not happy at the question and continued to hurl insults over the com line as Tact continued to provoke him. I looked at Luft and said, "Seriously, where the hell did you find this guy?" "The academy." I almost slapped Luft when he said that. "The academy? Seriously? Why don't you just lop my head off and put me down already because at this point…"

That was when Rezom noticed me, "It is rude to interrupt your superiors when they are talking insolent dog." I couldn't help but smirk before I answered him.

"Demon."

"What?"

"You called me Insolent dog, I corrected you and added Demon to the end of it. Insolent Dog Demon. If you're going to insult me, you're going to insult me properly. Especially seeing as I'm a Dog demon, so, you're not really wrong there. Now, you are correct in that it is rude to interrupt your superiors when they're talking, so do us a favor already and shut up so I can finish talking."

Rezom began to visibly shake at that with rage before he continued, "Are you going to take our offer for you to surrender or not?"

I walked up to the panel that Almo was sitting at and said, "Fuck off." Pressing the button on her panel to close the channel, everyone was staring at me like I just kicked their puppy. "Geez, sure does like to hear himself talk, doesn't he?"

Luft simply chuckled as he said, "Well, it saves us the trouble of dealing with him ourselves. Almo, bring up the radar layout of the situation."

"Yes sir!"

An image of the area with the Elsior and allied fleets, as well as the enemy fleet popped up on the main viewer as I walked back over to Luft and we began looking over the situation. I pressed another button, opening a channel to the engine room.

"Engine room, bridge, how long will it take to get the engines back online?"

"About 10 minutes sir."

The enemy fleet would be on top of us in 7. So, we needed 3 extra minutes somewhere. As Tact and Luft were conversing different ideas, I had one of my own.

"Hey Luft."

"Hmm?"

"You remember that maneuver we pulled back at Angelus falls during the Schism wars about 20 some odd years ago?"

Luft placed a hand under his chin for a moment, then said, "Yes, why?"

I looked at him and finished, "It worked on the ground. Think it would work in space too?"

Luft's face lit up like a new lightbulb as he said, "Yes, I think it would. I'll take the allied fleet."

I nodded and looked at Tact as he asked, "What is going on?" Luft looked to him and said, "Tact, its part of a maneuver that we ran years ago. The idea behind it is to take a portion of the main force and force the enemy to come after us, leaving the rest of the force or the high value unit, free to escape."

Tact caught on to what he was saying and immediately objected, "You can't go sir! This is your ship, let me lead the forces. I'll keep them off of you long enough to escape."

Luft walked past him towards the door as he said, "You're wrong Tact. This is your ship now. Take good care of her and she'll get you home every time."

Upon departing the bridge, I looked back to Almo and said, "Inform the hanger to prepare for a shuttle launch. Then secure for Chrono drive once the shuttle is clear."

Tact was just staring at me. I was wondering why when I realized what had happened. I completely superseded him and was running the show. I walked back over to him and said, "Any issues with the plan Tact?"

Tact simply shook his head as I heard Lester whisper to him, "Good answer."

I then turned to face the radar image and watched as the shuttle launched from us and docked with one of the cruisers in the allied fleet. Within a minute, the allied fleet broke off and turned towards the enemy fleet. After another suspenseful minute, we were met with the image of the fleet taking the bait.

Tact then ordered Almo to open a shipwide com channel. "Attention all hands. Suspend your current duties and render hand salute to General Luft. May the white moon watch over you sir." Everyone rendered a salute except for me. Not that I was trying to be disrespectful, but I knew it was going to take way more than that jackass of a ship commander to take Luft down.

Upon dropping the salute, another few minutes passed as the two fleets had battled to a standstill. The engine room reported that the engines were back online and we were ready to engage Chrono drive. So, we immediately engaged the engine and escaped the battlefield, leaving my old friend to fend for himself.

Everyone was a bit depressed at what had just happened. Granted a lot of them…alright, all of them, were young and didn't know better. I'd known Luft for the better part of 27 years at this point. Back when I was ordered by the King to put an end to the Schism wars, Luft was one of the few soldiers to listen to my every order and was also one of the few that survived with me through the entire war. He learned a great deal from me back then, so I had confidence that he'd be just fine. Now, it was convincing everyone else that was the problem.

I figured my first bet should be Milfeulle, she's usually the happy go lucky one from what I've seen, so if I can get her back on track, the rest of the team should be able to fall right into place.

I decided to head to her room first, since it only makes sense to start from the bottom and work your way up. I knocked on her door, and, amazingly enough, she was actually there.

"Who is it?"

"A stray dog looking for a good meal." I'm beginning to think I'll just use that as my typical door greeting.

"Oh Demon, come in."

I opened the door and walked into her room to see her sitting on her bed with a sad look that would make even the hardest of souls cry. I walked over, kneeled down in front of her and said, "Worried about Luft?"

She meekly nodded her head as I said, "Let me tell you a bit about my history with Luft." She perked up a bit as she listened to me tell her about my time in the Schism wars and how Luft was one of the few soldiers under my command to survive every battle I participated in.

"…I taught him a great deal back then. A lot of those same tactics are what he's been teaching at the academy. So, I know, for a fact, it's going to take more than a narcissistic jackass like Rezom to take Luft down. I'd stake both your and my luck on it."

She wiped away a tear as she smiled and said, "You're right. He'll be back with us in no time. It's nice to hear that he had a great teacher. Thank you Demon." I bowed my head lightly as I stood back up and said, "I'm going to make my way around and try to cheer everyone up, would you like to come with me?" She leapt up off her bed and said, "Absolutely! Let's go!"

Within a minute of leaving her room, we ran into Tact, who apparently had the same idea I did and was going around cheering the girls up himself. He told us he'd already seen Vanilla and Mint and was going to see Milfeulle next. But, I told him I already covered that base. Though, Ranpha and Forte were still unaccounted for. So, Tact voted to get Forte while I got Ranpha.

"Perfect, Round 3."

"Hmm?"

"Nothing, thinking out loud."

We made our way to the gym next, and, sure enough, Ranpha was hammering away at a punching bag when we came in. She looked over at us and said, "I'm not in the mood to deal with you at the moment. Go away." Is she still mad about earlier? Man, can she hold a grudge.

"Ranpha, if I get in the ring with you and go full one on one with you, will you hear me out?"

Ranpha stopped beating up the bag and looked at me with a look of surprise as she said, "You know what, sure. Let's see what you've got."

I began to take my armor off as Ranpha got into a boxing ring. Milfeulle looked at her, then to me and asked, "Demon, are you sure about this? You remember what happened last time."

As I set my breastplate on the ground by my pauldrons, I looked at her with a smile and said, "I know, and I'm willing to bet, she does too." I then took off my tails and placed them by my armor and removed the gauntlets as well. I then stepped into the ring and put on a pair of sparring gloves as Ranpha said, "Alright, let's see how you handle yourself in a real fight. I'm not holding back, just to let you know."

"Suit yourself."

We faced off against each other and within half a second, Ranpha charged forward. I immediately sidestepped and ducked down as she brought a kick to bear. As I stood back up, she threw out several lightning fast punches. I was able to block each of them, but the speed she was throwing them out, I would have thought she was a demon as well.

We traded blows back and forth, she landed a few pretty good hits in that I didn't react fast enough too, and I landed a lot more hits. Though, to be fair, I had genetically enhanced strength and speed on my side, so this was kind of an unfair set up. But, given the matchup, she was doing exceptionally well at keeping up.

After another 2 minutes of back and forth, we both stood at opposite sides of the ring, staring each other down. She was breathing heavily, whereas I wasn't. Just when I thought she was going to charge me again, she stood up and said, "Alright, you win."

I looked at Milfeulle with a puzzled look, and all she did was shrug her shoulders before I looked back at Ranpha and said, "So, are we good now?"

Ranpha took off her gloves and stepped out of the ring, saying, "Yeah, we're good. You're the first person I've gone up against that not only kept up with me blow for blow, but actually wore me out and you haven't even broken a sweat. I wanted to see if the stories were true about you being a master in hand to hand combat. So, I'm satisfied. So, what did you guys come down here for?"

I took off my gloves and sat next to her on the bench. "Are you worried about Luft?" Ranpha looked at me with a confused look, before softening it and responding, "Yeah. I came down here to work out and take my mind off of it. Working your body physically will help to strengthen the mind at the same time. At least, I always thought so." I looked at her with a smirk and said, "Everyone has a different way of dealing with stress. I personally believe there is no such thing as a wrong way to deal with it. So, with that said, let me tell you about my history with Luft…"

After about 15 minutes of telling her the same thing I told Milfeulle, I finished, "…so it's going to take way more than that jackass to take Luft down. I guarantee it." After thinking about it for a minute, Ranpha smiled and said, "Well, I already knew that. General Luft is a great leader, so it's good to know that he's even better than we originally thought before. Now I'm fired up and ready to go! Thanks for getting me out of that rut. Up for another round?"

I chuckled as I said, "You asked for it."

4 more rounds with Ranpha later, she decided she'd finally had enough and went to take a shower. As Milfeulle and I made our way out of the gym and headed towards the lounge, we heard the overhead speakers come on. "Prepare for drive out." Within a few seconds, we felt the ship noticeably shift, indicating we were no longer in Chrono drive. With that, we continued on our way toward the lounge.

Upon arriving at the lounge, Milfeulle and I got a couple of drinks and sat down at a table. I sat in a heavy metal chair (apparently, Mint warned them about me and they came prepared), while Milfeulle sat in a much more elegant looking chair. As we sipped our drinks, Milfeulle looked to me and said, "Hey Demon?"

"Hmm?"

"Have you ever….been in love?"

Uh oh, now why, oh why, would she be asking me THAT question? Well, here we go.

"No, I can't say I have. Granted, I spent like 250 years in isolation because people were afraid of me, then another century and some change working as the personal guardian and caretaker for the royal family, so I never really thought about it. Why?"

She quickly blushed and said, "No reason. I was curious to know if you'd ever experienced something like that before. There have been a few things you've done that I noticed you don't do for everyone."

I raised an eyebrow as I looked at her and said, "Such as?"

Before she could answer, however, the main speaker system came on as Almo shouted, "Incoming missile, all hands brace for shock!"

I looked up and wondered what was going on. Within a few seconds, my question was answered as the ship lurched, causing Milfeulle to be knocked out of her chair. I quickly leapt up and caught her before she hit the ground. As I helped her stand back up, Almo came back on over the speakers, "Direct hit to the hanger bay. Angel Wing, report to the hanger for sortie!" Milfeulle looked at me with a solemn look before I said, "Go, we'll finish this conversation another time." She nodded and ran out of the lounge. Curiosity getting the better of me, I ran to the hanger behind her to see the damage first hand.

Upon arriving at the hanger, a large pillar was pinning three of the frames down. Leaving only Ranpha's and MIlfeulle's deployable. Upon hopping into hers, she saw me walking down the causeway towards the maintenance crew, who were working on a way to move the pillar.

I walked up and said, "What's being done to move this pillar?" One of the techs looked at me and said, "Sir, I need you to step back, you're in our way." I quickly grabbed him by the throat and said, "You address me like that again and they'll be peeling you off the deck with a spatula, am I clear?" He quickly nodded as he struggled in my grip for air. As I dropped him, another tech came up to me and said, "Sir, we're trying to jury-rig a pulley system to try and move the pillar enough for us to roll it out of the hanger door." I walked past him and said, "Have the hanger door ready to open when I tell you."

All of them just watched me in confusion as Forte, Mint and Vanilla arrived in the hanger to see their frames pinned down. By this point, Milfeulle and Ranpha had already left and time was ticking. I made my way onto one of the beams near the center of where the pillar was lying. As I got behind the pillar, Forte shouted after me, "Oi! Demon, what are you doing?" No sooner had she said that, however, was her question answered.

I placed my hands under the pillar and began to lift it up off of the frames. It was a lot heavier than it looked, so it took a great deal of my strength to get it up. As I lifted it past my chest, I shouted after the tech I spoke with not long ago. "Open that hanger door!"

I could hear the hydraulics of the hanger door opening as I finished lifting the pillar above my head. It wasn't too draining, but that didn't mean I could hold it up forever. I took a couple of steps forward, struggling to keep the pillar balanced with each step as I shouted, "Clear the catwalk!"

They wasted no time getting out of my way. I was satisfied that everyone was clear, I used a burst of my strength and shouted as I threw the pillar over the catwalk, and out the hanger door into open space. Once the pillar was out of my grip, I stumbled forward and grabbed onto the railing to catch my balance. That was a lot harder than the pillar I caught back at the palace. What the hell was that thing made of?

Everyone sprinted back onto the catwalk as I watched the girls hop into their frames and fire up the engines. One of the techs offered to help me up, but I waved him off, saying, "I'm fine, get them out of here." I stood by as I watched the mechanical arms holding their frames in place begin to move and lower their frames down. Upon locking in place, I waited for the frames to drop and fly off.

10 seconds passed…

20 seconds…

It was almost 30 seconds when I looked over and saw the techs trying to punch in several commands into their consoles. Apparently, the arms malfunctioned and the frames were pinned in place.

Like hell they were.

I rolled my eyes, ran down the catwalk, and leapt over the railing, landing on the glass cockpit of the Frame Mint was in. I noticed her jump in her seat upon seeing me hit her frame, but that didn't slow me down, I climbed my way to the top of the frame and stood on top of the mechanical clamp holding her frame in place.

I grabbed each side of the clamp and began to pull on them. At first, they weren't moving, but the more strength I put into it, I could hear the creaking of the metal as they began to move. Within seconds, I forced them apart, freeing Mint's frame and allowing her to zoom off to help Milfeulle and Ranpha. As I stood up, I could feel my rage rising. These arms were making me angry and if I wasn't careful, I could have a problem on my hands.

I took a breath, shook out my arms and hopped over to Forte's frame next. The engineering staff was staring at me in shock as I pried the clamps apart on Forte's frame and allowed her to zoom off as well. Finally was Vanilla, I hopped over to her frame and started to work on pulling the clamps apart on her frame. As they pulled apart though, I could feel the rage begin to reach a boiling point. I figured I might have a minute or so of useful control before I lost it at the rate this was going. Upon freeing Vanilla's frame, I didn't wait for her to fly off; I leapt back onto the catwalk and ran past the techs. They tried calling after me, but I ignored them, focusing on getting to the one place on board that could probably hold me back.

The brig.

I barely got to the brig in time as I felt my control slipping. I ran past the guard and into a cell, shouting, "Activate the forcefield! NOW!" He jumped a bit, but followed my order, activating the field and sealing me in. That was when the last of my control was gone. My eyes turned blood red with blue iris', my claws and fangs sharpened and grew half an inch as I released an ear piercing roar.

I woke up on the floor, placing a hand on my head as I groaned lightly, slowly pushing myself off the floor. I looked around and noticed I was still in the cell I barely made it too, but it looked like a wild animal had gone insane in here. There were tears all across the steel bulkheads, as if something had torn through them and exposed a lot of the wiring and piping behind them. There were a few metal plates on the ground that had been ripped from the walls as well. Judging from the amount of damage in here, it was a damn good thing I wasn't out there when I lost control.

I looked out of the forcefield to find Tact and Prince Shiva standing there.

I stood up and walked over to the forcefield, where Shiva waved to the guard to lower it. I stepped out of the cell and asked, "Did we win that battle?"

Tact and Shiva both smiled at me as Tact replied, "Yes. The attackers were driven back. From what the hanger crew told me, you pretty much single-handedly cleared the debris off of the frames as well as freed them from the malfunctioning arms that held them in place. You have my thanks."

I looked at Shiva with a raised eyebrow as I looked back at the torn apart cell before saying, "I'm not sure you should be thanking me. Pushing myself to get those frames out ended up making me lose control of my demonic blood. I barely had time to get down here and seal myself in that cell before I lost complete control. Which reminds me, how long was I out?"

Shiva stepped forward and said, "Only an hour. When Commander Myers informed me of what happened, I came down here immediately. I've been here ever since."

I bowed lightly to her as I said, "I apologize for my actions, your majesty. I should have exercised better control over the situation."

Shiva lifted a hand as she said, "Don't apologize, if it wasn't for you, the odds in that battle may very well have tipped out of our favor. By taking that risk, you helped ensure the safety of the ship, its crew, and in turn, myself."

Extending her hand outward, she then said, "Shall we head back to my audience chamber? I asked Commander Myers to wait to conduct the debrief until you were fully recovered."

I smirked a bit as I walked forward and escorted her back to her chambers. Tact told me that he'd be in the hanger when I was ready and left the two of us alone to traverse the corridors.

Shiva looked to me as we walked and said, "Howard, Are you alright? I've heard stories from some of my relatives about the last time you lost control like that. They said that it bothered you for a long time afterwards because of what you did to those men."

I shook my head and quickly answered, "I'll be fine. Thankfully, I was able to lock myself somewhere that could actually hold me. Plus, since nobody got hurt, I should consider myself lucky."

She couldn't help but smile as she said, "Perhaps Milfeulle's luck is starting to rub off on you." I rolled my eyes at the quip before I said, "Oh come on, you too? I'm telling you, despite the fact that I do like her; I can't have anything with her. I'm a demon, remember? Humans and Demons are like oil and water, we don't mix very well."

Shiva gave me a sheepish look before saying, "There's nothing saying that you can't try. Even though you're a demon, you're still entitled to falling in love too, you know."

I shook my head lightly as we arrived at the audience chambers and walked inside. Shiva turned to me and said, "Go on, they're waiting for you. We can continue this discussion later. Please, consider what I've said."

Now it was my turn to smile as I said, "The young prince trying to teach an old dog a new trick? Now I have seen everything." This made us both laugh before I bid her farewell and made my way back to the hanger.

Upon arriving at the hanger, I found Tact standing with the Angel wing, probably praising their performance. As I made my way over to them, they noticed me and the first person to say something was Milfeulle.

"Hey Demon! Over here!"

Everyone looked over at me with smiles as Tact said, "Ahh, good, now that you're here, we can begin. So, Milfie, Ranpha, do you have any idea who those two were? They seemed to know an awful lot about you."

Milfeulle shook her head as I walked up and stood next to her while Ranpha said, "I have no clue, but odds are they're just a pair of creepy stalkers."

Tact looked to her and said, "Information on the Angel wing is highly classified and not public knowledge. So, however they got that information, they have deep connections."

Milfeulle groaned lightly and said, "Everyone, please forget what you heard out there. That was so embarrassing." I couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at that, wondering what happened.

Almost as if hearing my question, Tact said, "What she means by that is there were two pilots out there that seemed to know a lot about them. Right down to their personal lives. It was a bit unnerving, if you ask me."

Forte then chimed in, "Let's not forget the MVP for today's battle. That goes to this Demon right here. You can imagine my surprise when you not only man-handled that pillar that fell on our frames, but single-handedly prying each of us loose from the docking clamps. It was awesome to see the Demon of the West in action. Nice job!"

Mint then smiled and said, "You did startle me when you leapt onto my frame, but when I found myself flying thanks to you, I was extremely happy and surprised. You've more than earned my respect today."

' _So, no more teasing?'_

"Well, I didn't QUITE say that, now did I?" Wearing one of her oh-so-innocent smiles as she said that.

' _Figures.'_

Mint only giggled as Vanilla said, "Thank you for your assistance today. It was very helpful."

Figuring that was as close to a compliment as I was going to get from her, I bowed lightly and said, "Thank you ladies. I was only doing my duty. Keeping his majesty safe is my main duty, so, ensuring you can fly to his defense happened to fall under that category."

No sooner had I finished, Ranpha said, "Well, I need a shower after this. That was a workout in itself. See you guys later." As she walked off, Forte looked to Milfeulle and said, "Have you done your post flight checks?" She groaned lightly and said, "Noooo." Forte then said, "Better get started."

Milfeulle pleaded, "But they take forever, can't I get some help?"

"Already finished mine."

"Mine as well."

"My checks are complete as well."

You could practically see the tears coming from Milfeulle's eyes as I watched the other girls start to walk away. She went over to her frame to start her checks, leaving me and Tact to walk out of the hanger.

"Seriously though, thank you for helping us out. We really needed it."

"It wasn't a problem. If you think that was helpful, you should see me in ground combat."

"Well, hopefully, we can end this coup before it comes to that."

When we reached a fork in the corridor, I looked at him and said, "I'll catch you later Tact. I need to clear my head a bit after that fiasco." He waved at me and proceeded down the opposite corridor. I could have sworn I thought I heard some clicking shortly before we parted, but I dismissed it as part of the circuitry on the ship.

Not even two minutes after we parted ways, I heard an ear piercing scream. I immediately turned heel and bolted down the corridor with my Demonic speed towards the source. After rounding a corner, I almost ran into Tact running from the showers as I looked at him, then the showers, then chuckled and said, "Tact, you weren't peeping on Ranpha now, were you?"

Tact shot his hands up and said, "No, no, no, nothing like that. I heard her scream and I came down here to see if she was alright." The rest of the angel wing rounded the corner behind me to see what had happened. All of them were leering at Tact, except for Milfeulle, who looked disappointed as Forte asked what was going on.

As Tact was explaining, Ranpha shot out of the shower, wearing a towel around her body and one around her hair, she looked around until she found us standing down the hallway and screamed, "YOU PERVERT! I'LL KILL YOU!" She charged after us as I looked at Tact and said, "Tact, seriously?" I stepped forward as everyone else stepped backwards. What I didn't know was she wasn't charging after Tact.

She was after me.

She shot a leg up towards my head, which I blocked, but I could feel the strength behind it. She hadn't tried to hit me this hard before. Something seriously had her pissed. She then threw punch after punch, which I blocked easily enough, but she was not letting up. Somehow, she managed to slip a kick through my defense and nailed me square in the chest. It didn't hurt, but it did knock the wind out of me. When I stumbled back to catch my breath, she launched another attack, but at this point, I had had enough.

I used my demonic speed and kneed her in the gut, sending her flying backwards and hitting the bulkhead. When she tried to pick herself up off the ground, the girls had jumped in and dogpiled her to try and hold her back. As she struggled, she screamed, "YOU'RE DEFENDING THAT PERVERT!? YOU'RE A SICK PIECE OF FILTH! YOU SHOULDN'T BE ANYWHERE NEAR THE PRINCE!"

I raised an eyebrow and looked at Tact, realizing she was talking about me before I ran over to her and knocked her out. At this point, now everyone was staring at me with anger, except Milfeulle who had another look of disappointment on her face as I said, "What the hell was that about? You know what, let's get her to the med bay first, then we'll ask what that was about."


	5. Chapter 5: Investigations & Discoveries

_**Chapter 5: Investigations and Discoveries**_

Ten minutes later, we had Ranpha in the medical bay, dressed in a medical gown and held down with several restraints. Everyone glared at me while Milfeulle seemed sad. Like I don't have enough problems getting along with people these days.

Forte then asked, "Ok, so what happened before we got there?"

I looked at her and said, "I left the hanger with Tact shortly after you girls did. We chatted for a minute, then split up in the corridor. He went one way, I went towards the elevator. I heard a scream, used my demonic speed to bolt down the corridor and found Tact outside of the locker room. At first, I was joking with him about peeping on Ranpha, then she came flying out and, well, you know the rest."

Tact spoke up once I was done, "It's true. He came from the opposite direction, and I didn't see anyone leave the locker room when I got there. Though, I suppose if you take his speed into account, it might be possible to have left the locker room, circled around, and…"

I threw Tact a dark look as I said, "Seriously? You honestly believe I would do that?"

Tact haste fully threw his hands up and said, "No, no! Absolutely not! I was just commenting that it could have been possible for you to be in two places at once."

Two places at once. Where have I heard that before?

Forte then continued, "Well, Ranpha seemed convinced it was you, Demon. If I were you, I would just apologize and get past it."

"Apologize for someone else's actions? Are you kidding me? Forget it! The only thing I plan on doing is finding out who's running around posing as me and rip their throat out. That's just insulting."

Forte shook her head as Ranpha moaned lightly, signaling us that she was waking up. When she opened her eyes and saw me, she tried to sit up, but was held down by the restraints.

"You! When I get out of this, I'm going to kick your ass up and down this ship so much that it'll…"

I waved my hand, "Yeah, yeah, sure you will. Now, explain to me what you saw in the shower. I want exact details."

She glared at me as she said, "I saw you. It's hard to mistake that armor and those tails with anyone else on the ship."

I placed my hand under my chin for a moment and tried to think how someone could copy my look exactly. It took me the better part of ten years to get this all put together. Unless…

I walked over to the com panel across the room and called the bridge. "Bridge, Demon."

The voice of Almo came on, "Bridge here, how can I help you my lord?"

"That hit we took in the hanger. How extensive was the damage?"

"It wasn't severe. We suffered a minor hull breach where the missile impacted that caused one of the support pillars for the hanger to fall on top of half the emblem frames. We believe it was because the warhead on the missile failed to detonate."

Or it didn't have a warhead on it.

"Thank you Almo, Demon out."

I closed the com-link and walked past the girls as Ranpha called out, "Hey! Where do you think you're going?"

Without looking back, I said, "To put this problem down like a dog."

Making my way from the med bay, I proceeded back to the locker room. Best place to start my search would be the scene of the crime. I knocked on the door, shouting inside, "Anyone here?" When I received no response, I walked inside.

The room was still damp and humid from the hot water Ranpha had used to shower with. Picking up a scent in here would be next to impossible with all the moisture in the air. I walked around, looking around to see if I could find anything that might have been dropped or snagged. I found that Ranpha's clothes were still here, which told me that someone would be by to pick them up soon.

Sadly, my search came up empty otherwise. So, I left the locker room, where I ran into Milfeulle as she was coming down the corridor to the locker room. "Hey Demon, can I ask you something?"

I looked at her and saw that same sad look on her face as I said, "Of course Milfeulle. How can I help you?"

Milfeulle slowly twiddled her fingers around as she looked down and said, "Did you really peep on Ranpha?"

That hurt. Even she believed I did it. So much for being different.

I sighed and said, "No Milfeulle. I did not. The fact that you had to ask me that hurts. I thought you were different from the rest. Apparently not. I intend to find out who did, and I intend to kill them."

As I walked away, she gasped slightly before saying, "Demon, please, it's not like that. I believe you. Ranpha is so convinced, and we've been friends since flight school. Please don't take this the wrong way." I stopped and looked into her eyes as she looked into mine. After a few moments, I continued walking and made my way towards the whale room.

Upon entering the whale room, I was almost blinded by how bright the sun was. Even though it was artificial, you would have thought you were actually at a beach. The caretaker here, a young boy by the name of Kuromie, noticed me and said, "The Demon of the West, a pleasure. I see Ms. Milfie isn't here with you this time. What can I do for you?"

I looked at the whale on his shoulder and said, "He knows why I'm here."

The whale kwooned, shortly afterwards, Kuromie said, "He said he knows of your current predicament and is unfortunately unable to help you."

"This may sound like an odd question, but have you seen me at all today?"

Kuromie glanced at the space whale before responding, "No, this is the first time we've seen you today. Why?"

I looked at him with a serious look. "There is an imposter aboard that looks like me. If I come back in here at all today without someone with me, call me." He nodded and with that I departed the whale room and proceeded down the corridor towards the cafeteria.

As I walked down the hall, I picked up Ranpha's scent not far behind me. Up side of having a sharper sense of smell, it's almost impossible to sneak up on me. When I approached the next corner, Lester stepped out, taking notice of me. "Ahh, my lord, How are you doing?"

I shook my head and said, "It's a long story, and it's just leaving one strange mess behind it." He placed his hands on his hips as he said, "Is that why you're playing hide and seek with the girls?"

I raised an eyebrow before saying, "What?"

"Ranpha is staring at you from behind that corner over there."

"Oh that, yeah, I know, I picked up her scent a few minutes ago. Probably wondering what I'm up to."

I could hear her take a couple sniffs, almost like she was checking to see if she had a smell before I shouted out, "That doesn't imply that you stink. Gotta remember, sharper sense of smell." Lester chuckled a bit before he said, "Actually, funny thing, I just walked past you not long ago, but when I tried to greet you, you didn't say anything to me. You just kept on walking."

My eyebrows shot up as I said, "Where did you see me?" He pointed behind him and said, "The cafeteria. I thought you were going to get something to eat." I didn't wait for him to finish before I said, "Thank you very much. I'll see you around Mr. Coolduras."

I made my way to the cafeteria with Ranpha in trail still hiding, where I found Mint, sitting at a table by herself sipping on some tea. I walked over to her and she perked up saying, "You're back? Decided to talk to me this time?"

I looked at her with a raised eyebrow and said, "I just got here. Why? Did you think you saw me?"

She twitched her rabbit ears as she said, "I looked right at you about five minutes ago. You were looking around for something. I tried to call out to you, but you were ignoring me. Then you left without a word." This gave Ranpha pause. I think she was beginning to realize I was telling the truth.

The only question I had. "Did you see which way I went after I left?"

"You turned to the right after walking out the door. After that though, I thought you came back for something. Why? Was that not you?"

I looked at her, "I've got a theory about who my doppelganger is, but I want to be sure. Thank you Mint, I'll see you later." With that I ran out of the cafeteria, with Ranpha chasing after me and Mint being left in confusion."

As Ranpha chased after me, I picked up a new scent. It stank strongly of hydraulic fluid and oil. I followed the scent as I heard Ranpha's steps behind me. I chose not to look, but instead, followed the scent to its source and get my answers.

As I got close the elevator, I slowed down and looked around. The trail ended here. ' _Must have boarded the elevator.'_ What I failed to notice was Milfeulle standing by the wall, waiting for the elevator. "Hey Demon, I'm heading up, want to join me?"

I looked over at her before thinking this might be a good way to lose Ranpha. "Sure, I'll go up with you." It was the next place to look anyway. When the elevator opened up, both of us got onto it, leaving Ranpha in shock as the doors closed, leaving the two of us alone.

As the elevator made its way up, Milfeulle looked to me and said, "Hey Demon?"

I looked over to her. "Yes?"

Before she could say anything, the lights went out and the elevator came to a halt. This caused Milfeulle to yelp out.

I opened a com-line to the bridge using a portable communicator I had. "Bridge, Demon, Milfeulle and I are stuck in the elevator. Can you send someone to get us out?"

Tact came over and said, "Roger, we'll get someone down there ASAP."

We stood there in the dark for a minute before I said, "What were you going to say?"

"Oh…I…wanted to say I'm sorry about earlier. If you say you didn't peep on Ranpha, I should have believed you. Will you forgive me?"

I couldn't help but smirk a bit in the dark as I said, "How could I stay mad at you?"

Even though I couldn't see it, I was pretty sure she was smiling. Next thing I know, I hear someone grunting. Milfeulle spoke up, "Is someone here?" I looked towards the door, and faintly saw light start flickering through the seam as I said, "That was fast. Talk about service."

The door came wide open revealing Ranpha standing in the doorway. She pried the door open. Probably trying to see if I was still in here. "Well come on, don't just stand there!"

Both Milfeulle and I stepped out of the elevator as I looked at her and said, "I suppose having my own stalker has its benefits. Thanks for getting us out of there." Ranpha looked at us before saying, "I wasn't trying to help you. I made it here first and when I saw you didn't come off, I had to do something. You were in there with Milfeulle and I couldn't leave her alone with you. Who knows what you might have tried after you peeped on me."

Before I could say something, Milfeulle came to my defense. "He says he didn't peep on you, and I believe him. He's not the kind of person to do that."

At which point, I chimed in, "Let's not forget that you're stalking me around the ship. Isn't that suspicious in itself there, Ranpha? Are you up to something?"

Ranpha looked at us with shock as she said, "What? Me, no, I…I have to go take care of something." With that she ran off around the corner. She didn't leave though, I could still smell her from here.

Milfeulle smiled and said, "Don't mind her. You'll get used to her. That said, I have to get going, I'll see you later Demon." With that, she walked off, leaving me semi-alone. I lost track of that scent from earlier, so now I'm back to square one. Think I'll go to the convenience store and get a drink. All this running around has me parched.

I walked into the store and when the clerk looked at me, the color visibly drained from his face as he said, "My lord…..wel….welcome back…..can I help….you?" I walked over to the counter as he shrank back and said, "Have you seen me in here at all today?" The clerk shook his head vigorously as I thought for a moment before continuing. "Good, there's someone running around posing as me, and I'm in the middle of tracking them down."

He gulped as he said, "How thrilling and suspenseful."

I glared at him, making him duck under the counter before he finished, "…of course, whoever made that mistake wasn't too bright. Maybe you'd like a donut and some coffee to help refresh yourself?"

I raised an eyebrow before saying, "Coffee and a donut?"

He stood up a little, straightening his glasses as he said, "Yes, they're a good investigative snack. Helps revitalize and refresh the mind."

I thought for a moment before I said, "You know what; sure, I needed a drink anyway." Before he could say anything, I took out some money I got earlier and paid for the coffee and donut and began munching away while thinking.

Once I finished the snack, I tossed the cup in the garbage can, when I noticed a glint underneath one of the stands. I carefully knelt down and picked up a coin. Huh, someone must have lost some money here. Well, finders…

"HEY! That's mine! Give it back!"

Out of nowhere, Ranpha pops up and starts yelling at me. I swear this stalker bit is getting old. "Alright, geez, no need to yell like I was stealing it. Here." I gave her the coin and when she took her wallet out, she freaked out.

Great, now what?

I raised an eyebrow and asked, "What's the problem now?"

"My wallet!"

"Yeah, I can see you're holding it, what about it?"

"I had a charm on it, it's gone!" The color in her face completely paled as I said, "Is that charm really that important to you?" She nodded her head quickly before she looked at me and said, "You'll help me find it, right?"

Seriously? After all the crap you were just giving me about peeping on you, now all of a sudden you want my help? I should tell you to buzz off…..but…

"Sure, not like the imposter is going anywhere anyway. Where do you normally go?"

She thought for a moment before she said, Well, I normally go to the gym, then the locker room…and then my room."

"Alright, guess we'll make our way back to the locker room."

I decided to take a quick pit stop to the med bay next to see if maybe the Doctor and Vanilla might have any insight on the imposter or maybe Ranpha's charm.

Upon arriving at the med bay, the Doctor threw me a dirty look and said, "You! How dare you walk back in here so casually?" Uh oh.

I sighed and said, "Ok, I'll bite. What happened?"

Vanilla answered, "Doctor Cera was knitting a sweater. We stepped out for a moment and saw you walk in. When we returned, you walked out with a spool of wool wrapped around your arm."

Ranpha looked at me with a worried look, knowing that I hadn't been here. Dr. Cera continued, "I noticed it was still attached to the sweater, so I panicked and went to cut it, but by then, it was too late." I shook my head as I put my hands on my hips and said, "This is the first time I've been down here today. I've been chasing an imposter around the ship. From what you're telling me, you're another victim of his."

Dr. Cera just glared at me as she said, "Don't lie! There was no mistaking that it was you." I gritted my teeth as I looked at Vanilla and said, "Do I really look like the kind of person that would lie?"

Vanilla stared at me for a moment before saying, "No. I believe that you are telling the truth." Dr. Cera sighed a bit as she said, "Well, if Vanilla believes you, then I do as well. But then who was the one that came in here then?"

I turned heel and began to walk out as I said, "I don't know, but I intend to find out."

From there, we made our way to the locker room, upon arriving, I looked at Ranpha and said, "Ok, we're here, go on in and look, I'll wait right here." I was not going to get blamed for the same thing twice today. Once was problematic enough. Ranpha looked at me and said, "Awful thoughtful for a peeping tom, aren't you? He he he." I glared at her as I said, "Once again, didn't do it." Ranpha waved me off saying, "I'm kidding, I'll be right back." She went into the locker room, then came back out after about five minutes and said, "It's not here." Shrugging my shoulders, we made our way towards her room next.

Upon entering the hallway to the girls' rooms, we found Forte standing in the hallway looking around. When she turned and saw us, she said, "There you are!" I rolled my eyes thinking, ' _This guy definitely gets around, that's for damn sure.'_

As she stormed over to us, she held out her hand and said, "Alright, the jokes over, give me back my screw." I looked at Ranpha with a confused look before I sighed and said, "I have no clue what you're talking about, but something tells me it's going to sound pretty similar to what I've been hearing all day. Alright, let's hear it, what happened?"

"I was at the gun range, putting together one of my guns when I felt a strange presence come in. I turned to look and I saw you come down, you seemed out of it. I turned to pick something off of the table nearby and saw you take one of the screws to my gun. I went chasing after you and lost track of you here. Now, give me back my screw."

I put my hands on my hips in frustration as she finished. Whoever this imposter was, was seriously getting on my bad side. "I don't have your screw. Whoever peeped on Ranpha has been causing problems left and right and probably took your screw."

Forte glared at me saying, "Oi, if you're going to lie about it, at least come up with a better lie."

This time, it was Ranpha who came to my defense. "I've been following him around ever since he peeped on me, so I can definitely say we haven't been to the gun range today. It couldn't have been him."

I shot her a dirty look as Forte said, "Well, if she says it wasn't you, then I believe her. Then who could have taken my screw?" I looked to Ranpha as I said, I don't know, but I'm going to find out." Ranpha and I made our way to her room and upon arriving, I stopped at the door as she walked in.

Noticing I didn't go with her, she came back out and said, "What's wrong? Aren't you going to help me look?"

I looked at her and said, "You're convinced I peeped on you in the shower, now you're all of a sudden ok with me coming into your room?"

Ranpha grabbed me by the arm and said, "It's not like that, just get in here and help me look." With that, I was pulled into her room.

It had an exotic feel to it as she said, "You check the floor over there."

I started looking around and within a few minutes of looking, I found her charm underneath her table. I picked it up and said, "Is this it?"

She looked over at me and jumped up saying, "Yes! Thank goodness!"

She went on to explain how her brothers gave her the charm when she left for the military, and she told me about growing up with her family. At this point, I was starting to feel a bit depressed. 372 years and I still have no memory of who my family was, let alone growing up before I came to Transbaal. Noticing I'd grown quiet, she said, "Hey, are you ok?"

I shook my head and quickly said, "I'm fine. Now that we found your charm, I'm getting back to work tracking down that imposter."

As I stood up, she said, "Thank you very much for helping me find this. I'll help you look for the imposter, if there really is one." I rolled my eyes as I walked out of her room.

As we traversed the passageway, I got a call on my com-link. "Demon here, go ahead."

"My lord, bridge here, we caught a shadow of what appears to be you on the security cameras."

I looked at Ranpha as she said, "You mean with him standing here by me, right?"

"Negative, it appears to be alone and is moving towards the park."

"Understood, thank you very much bridge, I'm on my way."

With that I closed the com and began running down the corridor towards the park. As we rounded the corner before the elevator, we ran into Milfeulle, who said, "Hey, did you have any luck yet with the imposter?"

I looked at her and said, "He's in the park, you're welcome to come along." With that she started running along with us.

As we entered the park, I contacted the bridge and confirmed that the shadow hadn't left the part since the previous call. So, whoever this guy was, we had him cornered.

"Eyes open, we're not alone in here." As we walked forward, the lights suddenly shut off, causing both of the girls to scream and grab my arms. I rolled my eyes in the dark as I said, "Calm down, it's just the lights." Milfeulle was whimpering, as was Ranpha before she said, "I'm perfectly calm. The lights just startled me, that's all."

"Then why are you clinging to my arm for dear life?"

"Because I don't want to lose track of you in the dark. You might try something with Milfeulle."

"Seriously? You're still…"

The lights snapped back on and we were staring at…Prince Shiva. Of all the people I was expecting to see, I was not expecting her.

"What's going on here? Demon? Ranpha? Milfeulle? Am I interrupting something?"

Both of the girls let go of me in a hurry and stammered to explain that nothing was going on. Behind us, however, I heard a mechanical whirring followed by rustling in the bushes. Within a few seconds of turning around, we came face to face with me.

The smell of hydraulic fluid and oil was overpowering at this point. This was my imposter, like there was a question about it.

As I stared at the imposter, I said without breaking my stare, "Orders?"

Milfeulle and Ranpha were confused, but Shiva replied, "Do as you will."

"Your highness, please get them to a safe distance."

Shiva grabbed Milfeulle by the arm and stepped backwards, but Ranpha stepped forward with me. I glared at the imposter and said, "Alright, you want to copy me. Let's see how you do with the real thing."

I channeled my power, causing a gale force wind to push Ranpha back and I was enveloped by a twister. Within seconds, I transformed into my dog demon form, which stood over eight feet tall with snow white fur, and razor sharp claws and fangs. My eyes were red with blue iris' and the fur tails I normally walked around with could be seen on my back. I stared at the doppelganger for a moment before I unleashed a roar that reverberated throughout the ship. Both Milfeulle and Ranpha were in shock at what they were seeing, Shiva stood calm and watched intently, whereas the imposter sprinted away from the door, leading me to give chase.

The imposter was fast, but my enhanced speed was faster as I quickly closed the distance from him and leapt into the air to try and crush him under my claws. However, he turned sharply to the right and completely dodged my attack. Though, that didn't discourage me, I continued to chase after him all across the park, leaving torn earth and craters in my wake.

What I didn't notice was the rest of the angel wing, as well as Tact and Lester had arrived at the park to see what caused that sound. When they caught sight of me, or rather, me running from a giant white dog, they were in shock for a moment. Forte was the first to react, she drew her revolver and pointed it at me, the real me, not the imposter. Before she could fire though, Milfeulle quickly leapt on her arm and said, "No! You'll hurt him!"

Forte gave her a look of disbelief as she said, "I think it's obvious which one is the Demon and which one isn't." Milfeulle quickly answered, "So you know that giant dog is the Demon?" Forte's jaw dropped as she looked back at us, watching as I continued to chase after my imposter.

At this point, I was seriously getting tired of this cat and mouse crap. So, I sprinted forward and leapt in the air again, expecting him to turn to the left away from the tree and towards the entrance.

Right on cue.

He turned towards the angel wing and Tact and began sprinting for them. I had given myself a bit of extra room to glide to the left, so I could cut him off before he could react. I reached down and bit down across half his body. As I picked him up, I could feel him struggling between my fangs. I was tempted to ask who he was, but I had a better idea.

I crushed him and ripped him in half.

Mechanical parts sprayed out and oil filled my mouth as I spit out what was left of the imposter, which had turned into a probe. Well, that confirmed my theory. It was an optical camouflage probe. I haven't seen one of these since the schism wars, but, can't say I'm surprised at this point. They were useful back then.

I looked at the angel wing and roared out again, making all of them jump back before I turned back to normal. I spit out a couple of globs of oil as I walked through the debris before stopping in front of them.

"That is why I'm called the Demon of the West. There's your imposter, and you…" pointing at Ranpha as I finished, "…owe me a big damn apology."

Everyone just stood in shock before Ranpha said, "Well, that's one crises averted."

Shiva looked at me with a raised eyebrow, saying, "What do you mean she owes you an apology?"

I looked at her and said, "Well your highness, here's what happened…"


	6. Chapter 6: Supply with Demands

_**Chapter 6: Supply with Demands**_

Once I finished explaining the whole mess from start to finish to Shiva, she immediately shot a dirty look at the Angel wing. She then demanded all of them to apologize for accusing me of peeping on Ranpha. I interjected, letting her know that Milfeulle had already apologized, so she was excused from that decree.

The angel wing apologized one after the other (despite some argument from Ranpha), to which I accepted. From there, I escorted Shiva back to her audience chamber while the rest of the girls went about their ways.

As we traversed the corridors, Shiva looked at me and said, "Howard, why didn't you come to me to begin with? I could have put that whole thing to rest a lot sooner if you did."

I sighed before responding, "I had to find out who was the one that was running around posing as me. For all I knew, it was an assassin sent to kill you. I was not about to let that happen. Considering it was an optical camouflage probe, I wasn't too far off. Thankfully, we're in Chrono Drive, so it couldn't transmit it's report off the ship. However, the fact it took on my image would have meant it could have gained access to you without question."

Shiva looked down solemnly as I continued, "Besides, there's only enough room on this ship for one Demon. I wasn't about to get replaced by a two bit cheap imitation that couldn't even fill my boots." This caused Shiva to laugh, which was something that I enjoyed seeing. Despite the fact I've guarded her family over the course of a century, I still consider her like a daughter to me, so of course I want to make sure she's happy.

As we boarded the elevator to head down to B Deck, Shiva looked at me and said, "So, there have been whispers among the crew of you flirting with one of the Angel wing members. Is it true?"

My eyebrows shot up as I looked at her in surprise. Great, my reputation is now of a flirt instead of a fearsome monster. Wait….that's actually an improvement.

"Well, I never could hide much from you. Yes, I have been. Do you wish for me to stop?"

"NO! No, It's nice to see you stepping out and trying to find your own happiness. I've heard all kinds of stories, but never involving anyone you consider special in your life. I would like to be able to see that happen. You, of all people, deserve to be happy to, you know."

I couldn't help but chuckle as the elevator doors opened and we continued our way to the audience chamber. As we entered the chamber, one of the maids that had been embarked came up to us and said, "Your majesty, I humbly apologize. There appears to be a shortage of water on board, so we weren't able to properly clean your linens. I assure you that you do have clean linens and we will do our utmost best to improvise around this small setback."

Shiva dismissed her, then turned to me and said, "You've been around the ship a lot more than I have. Could you inform Myers of this and have him see to it that it is corrected?"

I bowed lightly and said, "Of course Shiva. I'll make my way to the bridge immediately." With that, I left the audience chamber, and made my way back to the bridge.

Upon entering the bridge, I walked up to Tact and Lester, who were already in the middle of a conversation about the supply situation. Guess I didn't have to say anything after all.

"As Commander, it's your responsibility to ensure our supplies are maintained above a set minimum endurance. So, you need to go around and find out what needs to be requested and purchased."

"Alright, alright, I'm going. But first, I'm going to go get some lunch from the cafeteria. I haven't had anything to eat yet today. Then I'll handle the supply situation."

That was when Lester noticed me standing by the doorway. "Ahh, my lord. What brings you to the bridge?"

"Actually, I was going to relay a message about a water shortage from the Prince. However, it sounds like that isn't the only shortage we're having problems with. Anything I can do to assist?"

Tact walked over to me and said, "Let's head to the cafeteria, I'll fill you in on what I have in mind."

Entering the cafeteria, we found a large portion of the crew almost fighting each other at the lunch line as Tact commented, "Wow, it's unusually busy today. I guess people must know about the shortage."

Before I could say anything, Milfeulle called out to us. "Tact! Demon! Over here, come join us!" Mint then chimed in, "Yes, please join us."

We walked over and sat down with the two girls. I sat next to Milfeulle and Tact sat next to Mint. I noticed Mint throwing me a coy look as she looked back and forth between me and Milfeulle as I thought, ' _Come on, are you ever going to take the hint and get off my back about her?'_

"I'm afraid not. After all, I'm looking out for the well-being of my friends."

I simply glared at her as she wore one of her oh-so-innocent smiles as Milfeulle and Tact just looked at her in confusion before Tact said, "What's going on?"

"Nothing, just a certain little rabbit acting like a pest, that's all."

"Now, now, Demon, is that anyway to treat your friends? Besides, if anyone is acting like a pest, it most certainly isn't me, now is it? I've been nothing but courteous to you since you came on board."

"Oh, is that what they're calling it these days? Back in my day we had another word for that kind of thing."

"Times do change, perhaps it's time for the old dog to learn a new trick?"

"Woooow, and here I was thinking of actually doing something nice for you. But, after that jab, you can forget it. After all, I am an old dog. Really hard for me to play nice with these new kids, you know?"

Mint's rabbit ears twitched before we both started laughing, leaving Tact and Milfeulle in complete confusion about what just happened. I looked at Milfeulle, who had a pouty look on her face before I tapped her nose and said, "That's not to say I can't play nice with some people." This caused her to yelp a bit and blush profusely as Tact laughed, as did Mint.

After a few seconds of laughing, Mint said, "If you want to get something to eat, I suggest you get up there now, there isn't much of a selection left." I looked at Tact and shrugged my shoulders as we went over to the lunch line. True to her word, there wasn't much left except for a few assorted desserts. Shaking my head, I walked back over to the table as Tact spoke with the lady in charge of the kitchen.

Sitting down, I saw Mint take a bite of what looked like assorted jelly cubes. Milfeulle looked at me and said, "You're not eating anything?" I smiled and said, "There wasn't much except desserts left. Besides, I can go up to three weeks without food, so I'll be fine." Milfeulle looked at me in shock as she said, "Three weeks? You shouldn't have to go that long without a meal!"

As Tact sat back down, Mint looked at me and said, "Would you like to try this rainbow jelly? It's quite exquisite." I looked at Tact and noticed that he hadn't gotten any food either, so I shrugged and said, "Ehh, sure I'm up for trying new things." I picked up an extra spoon and took an orange cube from her bowl and popped it into my mouth.

As Mint was offering Tact the same thing, I was experiencing the flavor of the jelly. The first thought that popped into my mind. ' _Wow, this is actually pretty good, I'm glad I did…'_

Then it hit me.

The overwhelming sensation of sweeteners started to overpower my sense of taste. It felt like I literally poured half a bag of liquid sugar into my mouth as I had to stand up from how sweet it was as I was groaning lightly.

First Ranpha's food is overpoweringly hot; then Mint's is overpoweringly sweet. Did these girls seriously not have any taste buds?

Milfeulle looked at me with worry and said, "Demon, are you alright?" I quickly said, "Yeah, just a bit overpowering. Damn, feels like I poured liquid sugar into my mouth. What is this?"

No sooner had I said that did Tact start crying for water. Mint couldn't help but giggle at our reactions before saying, "It's a combination of several artificial sweeteners and colors that produce a mysterious exquisite harmony together."

I just looked at Milfeulle with puzzled look, only to be met with a shoulder shrug before I looked back at Mint and shook my head as I thought, ' _Keep eating things that sweet and you won't have a tongue left by the time you're 20.'_

Mint giggled as she said, "Oh, I highly doubt that. Besides, it's absolutely amazing and perfectly safe for eating. I would be happy beyond my dreams if I could eat sweets like this forever."

I shook my head as I sat back down, having managed to get most of that sweet sensation out of my mouth as I looked at Tact and said, "Well, so much for lunch. I think I'd be better off just waiting for the resupply."

Tact looked at me and said, "I don't know, I think a stomach full of candy is a lot better than an empty stomach, don't you think?" I looked at him sarcastically as I replied, "You can have that. I'll be perfectly content with my empty stomach. Like I was telling the girls, I can go up to three weeks without food. Besides, I'm confident we'll be fully resupplied long before that happens." Tact looked at me in shock as he said, "Three weeks? Why would you go that long without food? That had to be torture!" I leaned back in my chair as I said, "I had to deal with a lot of things while I was in isolation before I joined the royal family. Food shortages were one of them. Sure, I would go out and hunt, but it got to the point where the animals started to figure out to stay away from my part of the world. Plus, people were terrified of me back then, so I couldn't just casually walk into town to get food. I had to be careful how I went about it so as not to cause a panic."

Milfeulle looked at me with a sad look and said, "Shortages in food and supplies tend to make people more irritable. I couldn't imagine what that was like for you. This situation is hard as it is."

Mint then chimed in, "By the way, I heard Ranpha shouting from the showers earlier. Do you know what that was about?" I chuckled as they all looked at me and said, "Probably about the water shortage that's going on if she was in the shower."

Then, as if she heard her que, guess who came to lunch?

"Aww, this really sucks," was the first thing out of her mouth to us.

Tact looked at Ranpha and said, "Yo, Ranpha, we were just talking about you."

She gave him a dirty look as she said, "I wanted to talk to you too. Tact, the showers are out of water."

Tact placed his hand behind his head sheepishly as he said, "Yeah, you're not the first person to notice we were short on water." I simply smirked as I looked at Milfeulle and cocked my eyebrow twice as Ranpha continued, "I had just put in shampoo, so it was awful timing. Thanks to that, I had to rush. And we're out of shampoo, so I was washing my hair with body soap…my important cuticles are in danger! You're supposed to be the commander. Do something. A girl's in trouble here!"

Milfeulle looked at her and said, "Ranpha, does it look like he has time for small things like that?" Ranpha looked at her and said, "What are you talking about? Taking care of the troops is the Commander's job."

I couldn't help myself but to say, "I think I might have a quick solution to your problem there Ranpha." They all looked at me as she said, "Really? What is it? Tell me!"

"May I recommend a haircut?"

If looks could kill…

"This is serious! Why should I cut off my beautiful hair just because Tact isn't doing his job as Commander?"

Milfeulle and Mint both giggled between themselves. At least they got the joke.

Tact then said, "How did the water supply on the ship get so low?" You know, I was thinking that exact same question myself. You would think, being in deep space for months at a time that there would be a water treatment system in place to extend the useful life of what water we do have. But that makes too much sense. "In that case, the computer needs to limit the water supply without any input."

This caused Milfeulle to groan a bit, "Ehhh, it limits the water supply? We've got a time limit to wash our faces or take a shower?" Ranpha jumped in, "Why's that? After exercising or fighting, how are we supposed to wash off our sweat?" Milfeulle continued, "How am I supposed to cook? I can't wash my plates or my vegetables." Then Ranpha, "And I haven't had the chance to try my new clay pack treatment yet." I was rolling my eyes at the back and forth. Normally, this would be funny. However, given the current situation…

Mint the came to Tact's rescue, "Now now, both of you please settle down. A restriction has not been enacted on the water supply yet, correct?" Tact stammered, "Y-yeah, I mean I haven't made a decision yet. However, if water is limited, you girls might have it rough." I couldn't help but laugh at that. This? Rough? Please. If this was their idea of rough, they probably wouldn't survive the first week in the isolation I put myself in. But, that's neither here nor there as I got strange looks from everyone before saying, "Alright, we get it, you're unhappy with the situation. Let Tact do his job and I'm sure he'll get this sorted out in no time, right?"

Ranpha then said, "Obviously, it takes a lot of effort to maintain my beautiful face!" Oh, do I want to go for two for two?

Yes, yes I do.

"I have a solution for that problem too." Everyone looked at me as Milfeulle and Mint both had a really big smile of their faces like they already knew where I was going with this. I grabbed an extra brown paper bag someone had left lying on the table behind us as I said, "Here you go, just cut out a couple of holes for the eyes and you're good to go."

Milfeulle and Mint were both laughing as Tact groaned lightly, probably restraining himself so as not to get hit by Ranpha as she threw me another dirty look and said, "How dare you! I'll have you know my face is the prettiest face on board. Putting that piece of garbage on my head would only ruin it even more than the current situation." _'Personally, I have to disagree with that, I think Milfeulle's is prettier, but I'll be nice and keep that to mys…..MINT!'_

I saw the coy look Mint was giving me as she smiled and said, "Don't blame me for your carelessness with your thoughts."

Everyone looked at her, then at me as Ranpha said, "What did she mean by that?"

I rolled my eyes as I said, "A difference of opinion. One that I was going to be nice and keep to myself." Shooting Mint a dirty look, she merely giggled as Milfeulle looked at me and said, "What was your opinion?"

Before I could answer, however, a loud stomach growl broke the silence, causing me to smile and look at Ranpha as I said, "Well, looks like someone has some input of their own. Are you hungry?" Ranpha quickly said, "Of…of course I am. Why do you think I'm here! Is there a good selection left?"

Both Tact and I just looked at each other with hesitant looks before Tact said, "Uh…Ranpha…?" Before she could finish, however, she ran over to the lunch line as I said, "Well, looks like she'll find out here in about 4…3…2…1…"

Right on time, Ranpha came walking back with a worried look on her face. Probably because she realized she got there too late. Milfeulle asked, "You're back Ranpha. How was it?"

Ranpha glumly said, "I can't believe this, they're all sold out. Braised scallops in cilantro oyster sauce, southern style curry, even the lunch special, absolutely nothing is left!" Tact sheepishly said, "I know, that's why I'm not eating either."

Then Ranpha looked at the plate in front of Milfeulle as she said, "…Milfie, what's that clean plate in front of you? Was that the braised scallops in cilantro oyster sauce?" Uh oh, I had a bad feeling I knew where this was going.

Milfeulle happily said, "Yeah, it was delicious. I got an extra large portion since it was the last one left."

Ranpha looked down sadly as she said, "So…the last one…extra large…How nice for you and your luck. You always steal what I want away from me."

My eyebrows shot up in surprise at that statement. Milfeulle's smile turned into a sad look as she said, "…Ranpha, what are you talking about?"

That was when the floodgates completely let loose. "This isn't the first time! Ever since I met you, it's always been like this. Like that time you got lost and made me late to the entrance ceremony at the pilot academy! There's no way you could have gotten lost at such an opportune time!"

Milfeulle smiled and said, "I remember that. How nostalgic."

Ranpha snapped at her, "It is not nostalgic!"

Tact looked at them and said, "I thought you two were friends. Didn't you go through pilot school together?"

Milfeulle started, "Yes, that's right. Ranpha and I have always been…"

Once again, Ranpha snapped at her in mid-sentence. "It seems to Milfie that we've always been together, because she always comes to me! Always being stuck with you does nothing but piss me off!"

Milfeulle had a hurt look as she said, "Ranpha…" I, on the other hand, was starting to get mad with how she was yelling at Milfeulle. "Ranpha, I highly encourage you to be very careful with what you say next if you don't want to be eating the bulkhead for lunch."

Mint then stepped in, "Is hunger making you irritated? How about trying some Rainbow Jelly?"

Ranpha said, "No, I think I'd rather not…"

My glare towards Ranpha started to ease up as Tact said, "Can't you just wait for dinner? Skipping one meal isn't going to kill you."

"That's not the problem! I'm sure Milfie will get the last meal then too and leave me with nothing!"

I looked at her as I said, "Then I guess you'd better get here a bit early to get a good spot in the line, now shouldn't you?" I made no effort to hide the poison in my words. I'd about had it with her attacking Milfeulle unchecked. Milfeulle put a hand on my pauldron with a soft look as she just smiled at me. I swear, that smile…

Tact then said, "Ranpha, calm down, you don't really mean that, do you?"

Ranpha looked like she'd been hit in the gut before she said, "Ah…I'm leaving!" Then she ran out of the cafeteria shortly thereafter.

Both Milfeulle and Tact called after Ranpha, but she was already gone. Milfeulle looked down as she said, "Ranpha…really hates me." She started to sniffle, as if she was trying to hold back from crying.

Tact stood up as he said, "I'm going after Ranpha. She needs to apologize to Milfie. Ah, but I can't leave Milfie either."

Both Mint and I looked at each other as Mint said, "Go after her, we'll take care of Milfie. She was probably just caught up in the heat of the moment."

Tact nodded as he ran out of the cafeteria, leaving me with the two girls as I placed a hand on Milfeulle's shoulder and said, "Hey, don't cry. She didn't mean any of that. She's just stressed out between the lack of water and being hungry. Give her a little bit of time and probably some food, and she'll be back to normal in no time."

Milfeulle looked over at me, tears welling up as she said, "But, you heard her, she's resented me since pilot school." At that point, I looked at Mint, who silently waved her hands forward, as if nudging me. Without a second thought, I pulled Milfeulle close to me and hugged her, causing her to squeak in surprise for a moment before I whispered in her ear. "Just because she has a few bad memories that she wants to blame you for doesn't mean that she hates you. Think about it, if she hated you, would she spend as much time as she does with you? She said that you kept going back to her in school, but from what I've noticed here, she keeps going back to you. As much as she may not want to admit it, you're probably one of the best friends that she has. Take comfort in that thought, even if it's just a little."

After a few moments, Milfeulle placed her arms around the back of my fur tails and softly cried into my tunic. I looked at Mint as I placed a hand on Milfeulle's head. She smiled and nodded, letting me know I did the right thing as I let Milfeulle get it out of her system. In a few minutes, she pulled her head back and said, "You're right. She didn't mean those things. I want to make it up to her, but I'm not sure how." Before I could say something, Mint said, "What about that cinnamon pie that she's been wanting you to make."

That perked her right up as her face lit up. "That's right! That would be perfect! Though, I need cinnamon. I have everything else in my room." I smiled and looked at the both of them and said, "Sounds like we need to take a trip to the convenience store." Mint stood up, followed my Milfeulle, who seemed hesitant to let go of me, or rather take her hands off my tails. I stood up afterwards as Milfeulle looked at us and said, "Thank you guys. I am really lucky to have you as friends."

We started to walk out of the cafeteria before Milfeulle said, "Your tails are really soft Demon." I only chuckled at this as we made our way into the hallway. Great, she was copping a feel on my fur while she was crying.

Clever girl.

As we entered the convenience store, the girls walked in ahead of me, the clerk looked at them and said, "Ah, Ms. Milfie, Ms. Mint, wel….." The color drained out of his face when I walked in behind them as he finished, "My…my lord, we-welcome. Is there some….I could help you with?" Milfeulle went straight towards the seasonings as Mint looked at the shopkeeper with a worried look before looking at me. That's right, she hasn't been here with me yet. Well, may as well explain it.

I leaned down and whispered to her, "He's terrified that I'll eat him if he says the wrong thing. While I have thought of trying to put his mind at ease, having that fear does make some things easier to deal with." She only giggled as we noticed Tact and Ranpha come into the store.

"Oh, Tact! Fancy meeting you here."

Tact looked at us in surprise. "Eh? You guys came here too?"

Milfeulle quickly chimed in from one of the aisles, "Ranpha, I came here to buy ingredients to bake something for you. Before, you said you really wanted a cinnamon pie."

Ranpha perked up at that. "Ah, that pie? You're going to make it? Sounds good."

As Tact stood by Mint and I, she quietly said, "Hmm, it looks like it went well Tact."

Tact smiled and replied, "Thanks to you two. Thank you both."

As Mint continued to talk to Tact, I looked over at Milfeulle before hearing Ranpha's voice cut in, "What are you two talking about?"

Milfeulle cried out as she said, "Aww! Cinnaomn's sold out! I can't make a cinnamon pie with just this." Of course there would be a hitch to the plan. Either that, or her luck struck again.

Ranpha groaned as she said, "What? After you got me excited and looking forward to eating that delicious pie…"

Tact chimed in next, "Whoa, All the bread and box lunches are sold out. While we were talking, the rest of the crew must have bought everything." Gee, didn't see that coming.

Ranpha sadly said, "Aww, there's no food no matter where I look. I can't go on…" Oh give me a break, now she's a drama queen? Is there no end to her list of job titles?"

The clerk spoke up saying, "I'm very sorry. I've ordered new supplies from the warehouse, but it'll be two to three hours." I glared over at him, causing him to shrink back behind the counter as everyone looked at him, then looked at the look I was giving him. As the girls continued their conversation with Tact, I decided I would leave them to the task at hand.

"Well, if you folks will excuse me, I will go ahead and leave you to your work. As for you…" Pointing at the clerk, who yelped lightly as I finished, "it better not take two or three hours to restock your store. Especially if you don't want to deal with me." He nodded his head profusely as I began to walk out of the store.

As I turned left out of the door, Milfeulle called after me, "Demon, wait up. I just had a thought. Maybe the vending machines in the hall still had something left. Want to come with me? I'd like the chance to talk with you for a bit too." I smiled and motioned my head for her to come along. To which she happily caught up to me while Tact, Mint and Ranpha went towards Mint's room to have some of her candy.

Making our way down the passageway towards the elevator, Milfeulle started, "So, we never really finished our conversation from earlier, before that missile hit us." Damn, she remembered that? I was kinda hoping she'd forgotten. "Ahh, I see. Let me see, as I recall you asked me if I'd ever been in love before, to which, I said no. Then you said I'd done some things that I haven't done for everyone else. So, by all means, please continue."

Milfeulle blushed lightly as she started twiddling her fingers around. "Well, you've been…well…playful, every time you come to my room to talk to me. You've winked at me on a lot of occasions, and there were even a couple of times that you flirted with me. Then, there was the picnic. After the sprinklers had gone off, you not only saved my food at the cost of getting soaked, but you also defended me from the rest of the angel wing when they blamed me for it. You also hugged and comforted me after Ranpha got upset with me too."

At this point, she was blushing profusely as we stepped onto the elevator and began to head to Deck C. I chuckled as I said, "Well, those are very valid points, and I can't really argue against them. You know, now that I think about it. I haven't done any of that with anyone before. Not sure what it is, but you're definitely having an effect on me. So, I'd be completely oblivious if I didn't ask what you were trying to say."

She perked up, still blushing as she looked at me and said, "Well, I was wondering…"

As the doors opened, we were greeted by Forte and Vanilla standing by the vending machines just outside of the doors. "Good timing….oi, what's going on here?" Forte just could help but have a coy smirk on her face when she saw how much Milfeulle was blushing as I rolled my eyes and said, "Just having a conversation to pass the time in the elevator. Any luck with the vending machines?"

The overhead announcement system chimed on as Almo's voice came over, "All hands, prepare for Drive out." The ship noticeably shifted, indicating we were back in normal space as Forte continued, "No, all the vending machines are empty. Looks like the crew raided them when word got out about the supply situation. Now, what were you two talking about that has Milfeulle redder than a tomato?"

I looked at Milfeulle as she quickly said, "I was asking what it was like to be a Demon and I was caught off guard by some of the things he's done over the years." Wait a second. Did Milfeulle just flat out lie to them? Wow, I didn't know she could do that. Not letting my guard down around her.

Vanilla then said, "Your body temperature and heart rate are elevated. Are you ill, Milfie?" I chuckled as I answered for her, "No, she's not sick. Excited maybe, surprised even, but not sick. You can relax there Vanilla." Milfeulle's blush started to creep away as Forte said, "Alright, if you say so. Though, there's nothing wrong with flirting with her, just so you know Demon."

Forte laughed as I rolled my eyes and said, "Oi, are you kidding me? It was just a regular conversation. Sheesh, you're almost as bad as the little rabbit." Forte raised an eyebrow, as did Milfeulle before Vanilla said, "You are referring to Mint?" I laughed and said, "Yes, I am. I'm surprised you're the only one that picked up on that. I've called her a rabbit before."

Before Forte could respond, an alarm went off, causing all of us to look up as Almo came over, "We are in receipt of an S.O.S. Angel Wing, prepare to sortie."

Forte and Vanilla took off towards the hanger as Milfeulle looked at me. That's twice now that conversation has been interrupted. I smirked and motioned my head towards the hanger, causing her to start running with me just behind her.

As we entered the hanger, Ranpha and Mint were already in their frames and Forte and Vanilla were climbing into theirs. I followed Milfeulle onto the catwalk leading to her frame. As she reached the door into the cockpit, she looked at me and said, "Can we talk afterwards? I really want to finish talking about this." I chuckled and winked at her as I said, "Sure, now go get 'em Tiger." She smiled as she climbed into her frame and the catwalk began to retract while I was standing on it, bringing me back to the main pathway.

Once the emblem frames deployed, I made my way to the bridge. I figured I may as well find out what's going on since I don't have anything better to do. Upon arriving at the bridge, Lester was going over the tactical picture with Tact. Apparently, they managed to get in touch with a merchant fleet nearby and they fell under attack as they were moving to meet up with us. I stepped forward and looked at the screen as Tact ordered the frames to protect the merchant vessels while the Elsior moved to rendezvous with them.

Before I could say anything, however, the image of a male with light blue hair popped up next to the images of the angel wing as he said, "Ahh, my honey, I have returned. It is I, Camus O. Laphoraig, how my name flows like a breeze through space."

I rolled my eyes as I said, "More like a 3 day old stagnant fart. Who is this joke? He can't seriously be the reason behind the SOS." Lester and Tact both had serious expressions as Milfeulle chimed in over the com. "Ahhh, you again? What do you want this time?"

Camus continued, "We are here to ensure the Elsior is properly delivered to my lord Eonia. I'm also here to rescue you from the one who is playing with your heart with fabricated flirting. Your love is blinded from your hearts true desire by this beast of a being." Ok, either more than one person was flirting with Milfeulle or…

Milfeulle quickly blurted, "I don't need rescuing, and what are you even talking about?"

Camus then said, "He knows what I'm talking about. The Demon of the West. He openly admitted to Prince Shiva, who we know is on your ship, that humans and demons are like oil and water, they don't mix. This is a very true statement, thus why I've come to rescue you from his defiled grasp."

At this point, I'd had enough. I walked over to the com screens and opened a channel. "So you're the weasel that freaked her out last time around. I was wondering when I'd get to meet you. Though, let me ask one question before I continue, your last name. Where did you get that? A can of alphabet soup? Did you decide one day that your last name wasn't cool enough and said, 'You know what, whatever this soup spells out, I'll use as my last name. Lap ho raig, you know what, that's good, let's roll with that. I can't even pronounce it; it's that far-fetched of a combination of letters. I don't know what you're smoking, but you need to pass that shit around and quit being greedy." Milfeulle was laughing hysterically by the time I was done.

Camus chimed back in and said, "This coming from a being who can't even comprehend what love is truly like, let alone even begin to dream of how to reciprocate it. I will deliver to my honey a most beautiful grave to save her from this nightmare."

I raised an eyebrow as I looked back at Tact, then back at him before saying, "Awful strong talk for someone who apparently has to stalk someone just to get noticed. Contrary to popular belief, that stalker gig doesn't actually work. You need to stop watching those bad thriller movies that you are obviously copying just to get Milfeulle's attention. Furthermore, you don't know the first thing about what I do and don't know, but here's a free lesson. I have more than enough strength to rip you apart, so don't even think you'll go near her so long as I draw breath."

He only laughed at this as he said, "Then it looks like we're in agreement for where your next stop shall be." With that, he closed the channel. I really wanted to rip his throat out, but, sadly, nothing I can do from here as Tact ordered the Angel wing to deal with Camus and his rag-tag band of rejects while I stepped back and took a breath to calm down.

Once the battle was over and the attacking vessels were in full retreat, Camus came back over the com channel.

"As expected of the Angel wing, it was a beautiful fight. You truly are worthy of us. Aside from that, there is something you must see. We carry a message from his majesty, Eonia."

Tact spoke up in response, "A message from Eonia? Do you mean one to pass to Prince Shiva?"

"You should be careful how you address him. Being Eonia's follower is a graceful path. Ask the Demon of the West, he was the first before he fell from his majesties grace and sided with the old empire. With that said, I'll play it."

I gritted my teeth in anger at that jab, but kept silent as the message played.

"Those on the Elsior, I greet you." That was him alright, I still remember his voice from before his exile as he continued. "I am Eonia Transbaal, Emperor of the Legitimate Transbaal Empire. I know you are escorting my cousin, Shiva, to the Rhome system. But you are making a fatal mistake. The remnants of the old regime wishing to protect their own interests support Shiva. However, he will just be a puppet. To know that my beloved cousin would be used for such a plot pains me. Moreover, that would bring ruin to our subjects. Additionally, if Shiva becomes the puppet of the old regime, the chaos will just be prolonged. None of us wants that. You are simply confused by the corruption the old regime left. However, there is still time to hand Shiva over. You are victims too. I hope that you will have the courage to correct your mistake. My heart can accept your feelings. Of course, I promise that no harm will come to Shiva, because he is my only relative left. With Shiva's help, I want to build the Legitimate Transbaal Empire's future. I believe in your wise judgement..."

Just when I begin to think it's over. "Howard, I know you're responsible for saving my dear cousin from the palace. You were always my most reliable guardian and I'm glad to see that Shiva is receiving the same dedication you gave to me over the years. It's not too late to join me at my side. Please, consider my words, deep in your heart, you know it's the best course of action for the Empire, and for Shiva. I know you'll make the right decision. You always did for me in my youth."

The message ended as everyone was staring at me as Camus came over, "How's that? Weren't his majesty's words beautiful? Don't they just soak into your heart?"

The conversation continued as I started to tune it out. My arm was beginning to shake with how much rage I was feeling right now. I don't what made me angrier. The fact that it sounded like Eonia was truly beyond redemption, or that this jackass seriously didn't know when to stop talking.

Lester looked at Tact as he said, "How should we respond to them? Answer them with a warning shot?" I liked the way he was thinking.

"No, we should give them a proper response." You can't be serious.

Coco looked at Tact in shock as she said, "…eh? Commander, you can't possibly be seriously considering surrendering to Eonia's fleet?"

Lester then said, "No, open a channel, when this guy's got a face like that, everything will be ok."

Once the channel was open, Tact began, "Listen up Hell hounds, take this message back to Eonia. Your army may be mighty. But let me tell you three things. First, we are not so stupid as to listen to your lies and hand over Prince Shiva. Second, you have an army, but we have a demon." I cracked my knuckles as I smirked while he finished, "And lastly, no matter what, we will never yield to you!"

While the bridge crew complimented Tact on his firm stance, Camus came back on, "Apparently, negotiations have broken down. It seems the only choice is to fight my beautiful angels. Ahh…what a sad fate."

Milfeulle jumped in, "It's not sad at all! I haven't forgotten my grudge against you for exposing my secret!" Oh yeah, I'd forgotten to ask about that earlier. You tell him Milfeulle.

As each of the hell hounds chimed in and jabbed at each member of the angel wing, I shook my head at the gall that Eonia had to demand us to hand over Shiva. What I wasn't expecting was for Tact to snap me out of my thoughts with a question that everyone, including the angel wing over their monitors, was staring at me about.

"Is your name Howard?"

 _ **Guardian Hawk: Evening folks, been a few chapters since I chimed in. I hope you're enjoying the story so far. Fast disclaimer reminder, I don't own the Galaxy Angel series, or the character Inu-no-Taisho that Howard is modeled after.**_

 _ **Howard: …**_

 _ **Guardian Hawk: Something wrong Howard?**_

 _ **Howard: You're an asshole.**_

 _ **Guardian Hawk: …ok, I'll bite, what did I do?**_

 _ **Howard: Page 3 on your notes on me.**_

 _ **Guardian Hawk: What? You weren't supposed to read those. How did you get through my password?**_

 _ **Howard: You really shouldn't put 'Password' as your password.**_

 _ **Guardian Hawk: …ok, so, back to my main point. I hope you are enjoying the story so far. Big shout out to WillGM and Steviebond for their reviews so far. If you have any questions about something that doesn't quite add up, by all means, let me know in the reviews section! I'll see you folks in the next chapter. Now, as for you…**_


	7. Chapter 7: Misunderstanding Tensions

_**Chapter 7: Misunderstanding tensions**_

I sighed heavily as I glared at Tact and began, "The use of my name is reserved for those within the royal family, as well as those I deem have earned the right to use it. Seeing as you are not aware, I will let that one time slide. However…" I began to walk toward him as I flexed my claws, "…if you dare use it again without my permission, I will kill you where you stand, and the Prince will place a new commander in charge of the ship. Am I clear?"

Tact was sweating bullets at this point as he quickly said, "Ye-yes my lord. I sincerely apologize. I was only trying to…"

"Trying to ascertain if Eonia was speaking to me at the end of that message. Well, you can put that question to rest. Seeing as he was part of the royal family, not to mention my charge, of course he used my name. Luft is one of the few people outside of the royal family that I've given permission to use my name. However, he still calls me by Demon out of respect. You should learn from his example. The first lesson I teach to my charges is that Patience always pays it dues. Be patient, and you may earn the right to use my name."

Everyone looked slightly sad at that declaration before Almo chimed in, "Commander, the merchant ship is requesting permission to come along side and transfer their executive salesman on board to complete contract negotiations." Tact looked over at her and said, "Once we retrieve the Angel wing, permission granted. Mint, could you come to my office once you're docked? I'll need your help with the contract."

Mint smiled as she said, "Of course Tact. I'll be there as soon as I can."

As the com line closed to all of the emblem frames, Lester looked at me and said, "My lord, while I understand the sensitivity of the subject, what's wrong with allowing people to use your name?" I simply glared at him as I said, "Despite my laid back attitude, I still have a reputation to protect. Plus, seeing as I'm the personal guardian of his majesty, it was decided that his majesties guardian should be referred to by his title, so as to maintain appearances. Besides, I actually like the idea of restricting the use of my name. That way, when I say someone can use it, they know they've earned my respect."

Lester nodded in understanding as Tact said, "Lester, Demon, would you please come with me to my office. I'd like you both there while this executive is on board."

Lester replied positively while I remained silent, wondering why I was being dragged into this. However, after a moment, I decided I may as well represent the Prince's interests for this case. Before we left the bridge, I looked at Almo and said, "Almo, have all available hands conduct a deck by deck sweep for bugs. Spare no space, spare no body. Report to Tact when it's complete with your results." Almo acknowledged my order and we departed the bridge.

As we waited in his office, I began to think about my combat capabilities. _'While I am unmatched in hand to hand combat, and my claws can tear through bulkheads, I still couldn't help but wonder. Any idiot can use a gun, but I've always had a soft spot for melee weapons. Swords, in particular, were my specialty. Would it be possible to have a weapon made that can act as an extension of my power as well as add to the image people see when they see me protecting the prince? Maybe I can ask around later to see if there were any ideas floating around.'_

"I am sure there are, but I wouldn't say that around Forte if I were you."

I didn't notice Mint had entered the room as she snapped me from my train of thought. Lester and Tact just looked at her in confusion as I said, "Really? I can't even have a few moments to think about something for myself for a change? Oi, I swear, little rabbit, I wonder if you are trying on purpose to drive this old dog batty."

"Now why would you say that? I merely commented that saying such a thing around Forte would not be a wise idea. If anything, I was being courteous and watching out for your safety."

"Safety? Aww, you do care. Even though bullets don't cause me any harm, I'm touched by your concern."

"Sarcasm is quite unbecoming of you Demon. I was sincere in my intent."

"I believe you, really, I do. There's just one small thing that kinda puts me off. Just a little."

"Oh? May I ask what that is?"

"I didn't never actually said it. And as far as I know, you're the only telepath on board. So realistically, what you did to me just now would be the equivalent of me waltzing into your room unannounced and interrupting whatever you do privately."

Mint's expression went right into shock as she quickly said, "I wouldn't quite pair those two things together Demon."

I laughed at the look on her face as I said, "Finally, I'm not in the corner anymore. Life is good today."

Both Tact and Lester were completely lost at what just happened when a middle aged man in a purple suit came into the office.

"Ahhh, Commander Mayers, my name is Vincent. I cannot begin to thank you enough for choosing the Blancmanche Corporation." Wait, what?

Before I could say anything, Vincent exclaimed, "Ahhh, Miss Mint, you're safe! I told the entire Tormina district office that our lady was safe and they cried in joy." I looked over at Mint in surprise. ' _You're related to the Blancmanche Corporation? I thought that was just a coincidence.'_ She looked at me and silently nodded as I exhaled, ' _Whew…..damn. You and I need to work on our communication skills little rabbit.'_

Vincent continued, "Now we'll have to celebrate the anniversary of today every year!" Ok, this guy was starting to get on my nerves and he hasn't been here for two minutes.

Tact started to say, "Listen, I'm trying to talk…"

Mint had a worried look on her face as she said, "Congratulations…"

Lester leaned over to Tact, saying, "Hey, Tact. Can we trust this guy? He seems suspicious." While I am inclined to agree, that's probably not the best thing to say with the guy standing less than 10 feet in front of us, Lester.

Tact quickly retorted quietly, "Shh, not so loud. Please wait until after we finish to say things like that." Hmm, must have read my mind. Good call Tact.

Vincent continued, "Sir Mayers, let me express my deep gratitude! I'm honored to serve such a wonderful customer!"

Tact smiled and said, "That's kind of you to say."

"Sir Mayers, our sales department has prepared a wonderful gift for you. Please accept it. A celebrity executive first class space yacht. Please enjoy your leisurely space sailing."

I had a look of surprise on my face as I raised an eyebrow at that. A space yacht? What in the hell was he trying to do, bribe Tact? I patiently kept my mouth shut as I listened to Tact tell him over and over again that he couldn't accept it. Then the guy offered a membership to a golf course on Rakuein. Seriously? A golf membership? As Tact refused that as well, he tried offering a painting. I rolled my eyes as Tact once again refused that gift, if you could call it that, as well. Next was a 36 volume set on how to make money in no time.

I was really starting to get aggravated by how pushy this guy was.

"Vincent, Commander Mayers is hoping for a smooth and adequate replenishment of supplies." Mint swooped in for the save as Tact began to give under the pressure. ' _Good save Rabbit. You just earned a drink in the tea lounge for that.'_

Mint smiled at me as Vincent continued, "Ooh! Just as expected of Miss Mint! Thank you for the profitable advice. Then, let's talk business at once." Finally.

Mint stepped forward with a multi-page list as she said, "Here is a list of everything we'd like to purchase. How much will it be for all of this?" _'A list? Nobody asked me if there was anything I'd like to order. Somehow, I suppose I shouldn't be surprised.'_

Mint quietly mouthed, "I'm sorry" towards me. I looked at her with a snarky look as I thought, ' _That's fine. No drink for you at the tea lounge. There, we're even.'_ I smirked as she slightly smiled at my joke.

Vincent accepted the list as he said, "Yes, yes, let me see here. Of course, I'll look over it carefully." As he placed the list on the desk, I walked over and read the list from the side. Most of the items I saw were understandable and I could probably guess who asked for what until…

1 Outdoor hot spring kit.

' _Outdoor hot spring kit? Seriously?'_ I looked at Mint with a sarcastic look, knowing she could hear me. _'I know for a fact you didn't ask to put THAT on there.'_ She gave me a silent pleading look, as if telling me to be quiet. I shook my head as I thought, _'Fine, but you owe me BIG time for this one, rabbit.'_

After a moment, he punched in a few numbers on a calculator on the desk and said, "Okay, I've formed an estimate. How does this price look to you?" We looked at the price and everyone except Mint had a look of shock on their faces at how low it was.

Tact asked, "Are your calculations wrong? Should everything we're buying be so cheap?"

Vincent responded, "This time it's a super extra special service. 70% or 80% is only natural for the ultimate final best price in space."

At this point, I'd had enough.

I looked at him and said, "Alright, I've been quiet long enough. I know how much most of this normally costs, and that price you quoted would even begin to cover half of the cost to stock these goods. I've been around for a few centuries, and I know if you work for the same Blancmanche Corporation that I am familiar with, the president would hang you by that cheap purple suit on the highest yardarm he could find with how much money you're costing him."

He had a worried look on his face as I continued, "And another thing, a space yacht? A golf membership? A painting from some backwater artist? Are you kidding me? What part of this whole thing doesn't scream bribery? So, here's how this is going to work." I stepped forward, causing him to step back as everyone began to look at me with worry.

"You're going to put the proper price on that contract with whatever discount you give everyone else for buying in bulk, and you're going to sign it. No ultimate final space prices, no over the top gifts or gimmicks. And if I catch so much as a whiff of you trying to weasel your way into something else…" I flexed my claws in front of him as I finished, "Then your boss will be the least of your concerns. Now GET ON WITH IT!"

I walked back towards one of the walls as I listened to him stammer slightly before Tact calmly explained what I just told him. After a few more minutes of debate, and another save by Mint, the contract was signed.

"The resupply should take about 30 minutes to complete. Thank you very much for choosing the Blancmanche Corporation for your supply needs." As he walked out of the office, we all sighed, "Finally, I was beginning to think he was never going to shut up."

Mint giggled a bit as she said, "I must be going as well. The transportation of the supplies has to be organized."

Tact thanked her, which she politely waved off before making her way towards the door. I looked at the two men and said, "I have to go as well. I have a few bits of unfinished business to attend to." They nodded as I walked out behind Mint into the passageway.

As we stepped on the elevator, I looked at her and said, "Ok, I'm going to ask since I didn't even bother to think about it before. How are you related to the corporation?"

Her expression looked a little distraught as she said, "My father is the President of the company." I whistled as the doors closed and we began to head down. "I am so sorry."

Mint looked at me in confusion before saying, "Why are you sorry?"

I looked at her and said, "I've met Darno Blancmanche on quite a few occasions when it came to supply needs for the palace, as well as when I would try to get a gift for the birthdays of the royal family. Whether it was Prince Shiva, King Gerard, or…" I trailed off, thinking about Eonia again before I finished, "However, his attitude was always…..blunt. I would never have pictured you as his daughter. If anything, I would swear you two are polar opposites."

Mint's expression shifted as she said, "My father isn't a bad person, just very devoted to his work. You of all people can understand this." I smirked at that, knowing she was dead on before she continued, "He taught me a lot of valuable lessons growing up. But when I went to pilot school, he wasn't quite thrilled about the idea. Then when it was discovered I could fly an emblem frame and I was transferred to the white moon, he wanted me to establish business contacts with the white moon to help the company grow."

I thought about what she said before answering, "So, you applied to the military to leave home because your father's reach doesn't quite stretch this far?" She nodded as she said, "As a telepath, I'm expected to use my power." I laughed as I said, "Well, you've reinforced that point quite thoroughly over the last few weeks." She chuckled as she said, "My father was quite….overbearing. Always interfering without my permission." _'Now why, oh why, does that sound shockingly familiar, I say sarcastically.'_ Mint just shot me a dirty look as I laughed at my own joke. "Ahh little rabbit, you're always good for an entertaining conversation, no matter the place. Which reminds me, you don't mind me calling you little rabbit, do you? If it makes you uncomfortable, please let me know. I don't wish to be disrespectful."

She smiled as she said, "Well, I don't know, there was that time where you promised to buy me some tea in the lounge that you quickly backed out of."

I looked at her with a snarky look as I said; "Only because I got left out of the supply request that everyone else got to put in for. Hell, even Forte got to put in a request for more bullets, and she doesn't even use them for anything other than target practice."

Mint's ears flapped as she said, "Ok, ok, fair point. I'll make it up to you." The doors opened on Deck B, which I decided to get off at. Once I was off the elevator, I looked back at Mint as the doors began to close and said, "Before I forget, come see me later. I've got something for you." The doors shut before she had a chance to reply as I made my way down the hallway towards the lounge.

As I drew closer to the lounge, I could hear something playing faintly in the distance. Traversing through the corridor, it grew louder and louder until I realized it was coming from the lounge. "Now what is going on here?" I was originally coming to the lounge for a nice quiet drink.

Yeah, that wasn't going to happen.

I opened the doors to see a karaoke party going on with an upbeat song playing that Ranpha and Milfeulle were singing as a duet. Milfeulle was a bit off on the higher parts, but Ranpha was messing up the lyrics. Once they finished, they stepped off the stage and were reveling in the applause they were receiving. I walked up to them, clapping as I said, "You two sing quite well together."

Milfeulle looked at me in surprise as she said, "Demon you're here! Was my singing that good?" Before I could answer, Ranpha chimed in, "You were off on the high parts, I was much better." I stifled a laugh as Milfeulle retorted, "What? But you're the one who messed up the lyrics. You weren't even looking at the screen." I dropped my head as the back and forth continued until…

"Demon, who do you think was better? Well, I shouldn't even need to ask."

I personally thought about saying Milfeulle was better, just to mess with Ranpha, but I had a better idea.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk. Neither of you can hold a candle to me."

Milfeulle looked at me in shock as she said, "Wait, Demon, are you a good singer?"

Ranpha replied, "With confidence like that, you've got to show your skills now. I may not be able to beat you in a fight, but I can most certainly say that I can sing better than you." Oh, we'll see about that. What? Even though I'm a Demon, I have my fair share of songs I like to sing with too. Prince Shiva even has a few favorites she enjoys listening to me do.

"Alright, Yo! The Demon of the West will sing next."

Everyone just stared in shock as I walked up to the stage, tails flowing behind me as I looked through the list until I found what I was looking for. Ranpha, I hope you're ready to eat your heart out.

" _ **Shot through the heart, and you're to blame. Darlin' you give loo-oove a bad name!"**_

After I finished on the stage, everyone was in shock at how good I was. Apparently, being a Demon and being a good singer were mutually exclusive. Think it's safe to say I put that belief to bed.

After I left the lounge I wandered around the ship for a few minutes before deciding to make my way to the elevator hall to head to my room and relax for a bit. When I got there, however, it was even more crowded than the lounge was. I swear I'm having to worst luck right now just trying to find some peace and quiet.

Next thing I heard made me want to rip the door off its hinges.

"Yes, welcome! Groceries, clothing, music, videos, and more. Everything's on sale!"

Vincent had apparently set up an open market in the main hall for the crew to buy what they wanted. While I can understand what Tact might have been thinking from a morale point of view, could he seriously not have asked for someone else, anyone else really, to run this show?

Pushing my way through the crowd, I came across a very startling surprise.

"Howard! Over here!"

I looked over to the source of that call to find Prince Shiva and Forte standing by one of the far sections of the market. I quickly leapt up and over the ground with my enhanced strength and landed in an open corner near the end of the hall as I made my way towards the duo.

"Your majesty, Forte. I'm surprised to see you here. Did you try to summon me, your highness? I never received a call from you."

Shiva raised her hand as she said, "No Howard, I didn't want to disturb you, and Forte had come by my chambers anyway, so I took advantage of that to come out and be close to my subject's lives."

I shook my head as I said, "Your majesty, you don't need to worry about disturbing me. You're the only reason I'm on board. My job is to ensure your safety and to carry out your decree. No offense Forte, I'm not saying you can't do the job."

Forte waved me off saying, "No, I completely understand. You have a very valid point. But, I wasn't busy, so I figured I'd fill in for you."

Then, as if things weren't already strained on my nerves as it were, Tact suddenly shows up.

"Forte, Demon, and…Prince Shiva? What are you doing here?"

I shook my head, chuckling at the fact that I just asked that same question before Tact said, "With all due respect, shouldn't he be going out in a more dignified manner?"

I shot Tact a dirty look as Shiva asked with a worried look, "I'm not allowed this?"

Tact continued, "It's strictly confidential that you're on board the Elsior. But when you attract so much public attention…"

I cut in. "Tact, at this point, I think half the galaxy knows that his majesty is on board, so you can cut the whole confidential bit out. Secondly, who do you think you are to be coming off like that to my charge? If his majesty wishes to take a look at what is going on around the ship, he has every right to look. He's not a prisoner on his own ship."

Tact quickly waved his hands, trying to defend himself by saying, "It's not that, it's just…"

Shiva then chimed in, "If you would like, I'll return to my room. Would that be okay, Mayers?"

I immediately looked at Shiva and said, "That won't be necessary, your highness. You have every right to enjoy this opportunity as everyone else on board. Right Tact?" I added a sharp tone to those last words as a hint to him.

Tact gave a sheepish look as he said, "Yes, of course. By all means…"

With that, we began to browse our way through the selection; Forte would chime in every now and again. "How about you try the salted dried space squid? The more you chew it, the more the taste comes out." I've tried salted space squid before, and it took three days to get anything to taste right again. I stood behind Forte and signaled Shiva with a gagging motion as she smiled and said, "No, I think I'll pass. Thank you for the input though." I sighed a breath of relief. One disaster averted.

Tact pointed out something else. "Ahh, here's a 3D chess board. How about this?"

Shiva looked at it as she asked, "Chess? Is that some kind of tool, Mayers?" Damn, I wasn't planning on teaching her chess for at least another year. Oh well, too late now.

Tact continued, "It's a game where you arrange the pieces on the board and fight. You advance them and win by capturing your opponent's king."

Forte quickly whispered to Tact in a scolding manner as I walked over to Shiva and knelt down, "I wasn't planning on teaching you to play chess for at least another year. I didn't think you would find it very entertaining since it requires strategy and patience to win."

Shiva smiled as she looked at me and said, "This seems interesting. Okay, I'll get this 3D chess game."

As she grabbed the box carrying the game, Vincent came over and said, "Um, excuse me, could I ask you to pay for that…?"

Shiva looked at him, confused as she asked, "Pay? Is money required to shop?"

I stood up and glared at him, releasing a guttural growl towards him. He didn't realize I was right there until I stood up. He quickly waved his hands and said, "On second thought, never mind. Consider it a gift from the Blancmanche Corporation."

As I turned back towards Shiva, she said, "Howard, if we need to pay for this, it's not an issue." I knelt down and whispered to her, "Frankly, I've been wanting to tear this annoying little man's head off for the last hour. So, if anything, this is the least he owes me for not killing him with how pushy he was earlier. Don't worry about it. That said, let's keep looking. If there's anything else you'd like, as long as that jackass doesn't show up, I'll pay for it. Fair?" Shiva smiled and nodded as she took the game in one hand and began walking down the stalls with me close behind her.

Once we left the elevator hall, Forte quickly chimed in and said, "Alright, if it's ok with you Demon, I can escort his majesty from here." I looked at Shiva, who nodded as I said, "Very well, I leave him in your care. I'll be by your chambers later to teach you how to play, your majesty." She smiled and the two of them departed as I started walking down the hall before realizing that I wanted to get on the elevator to begin with.

As I made my way through the stalls, there was one stall that caught my interest. It was a display stall advertising a blacksmith from Transbaal. I took an interest in this since my armor has taken a beating over the years and I haven't really been able to get it properly repaired since I went into my isolation. There have been a few blacksmiths here and there, but their work was more for the novelty instead of practicality.

So, I picked up a pamphlet and read it as the man who was sitting at that stall said, "I couldn't help but notice your armor, sir. May I ask who forged it?"

I looked at him and said, "I actually did. Though, it's not quite the greatest armor, it does the job, and it's held up over the centuries, so I'm happy with that."

He stood up and walked around me before lifting his hands and asked, "May I?"

I nodded as he examined my pauldrons and breast plate. He knocked on it a couple of times before saying, "Oh, forgive me, I'm Heskel, I'm an apprentice for the Master Blacksmith Joseph Yoshinaka back on Transbaal."

I smiled as I said, "A pleasure, the Demon of the West."

His expression lit up as he said, "The Demon of the West? An honor my lord. Uh…may I request permission to speak freely?"

I replied, "Of course, I couldn't begin to tell you how to do your job. So, if there's something wrong, I want to hear it."

He continued, "I definitely like the design. Very practical at keeping opponents from trying to grapple you without injuring themselves. Though, the metal is worn and it looks as though it might not hold up very long in a fight. How old is this armor, my lord?"

I had to think about it for a minute before I said, "Oh, I forged this back around TCY 114, so I'd say about 300 years old, give or take a couple of years. So, I completely agree with you. The metal is worn. Though, I haven't been able to find a blacksmith that can do what I want. All of the one's I've found were mainly for novelty."

Heskel looked at me and said, "Oh, then today is your lucky day, my lord. My master has been complaining of never having a good challenge these days for a commission. Most of what he makes are for novelty since that's what people keep asking for. I'm almost positive that he would gladly take up a commission for you. Granted, the only problem would be the price since…"

I cut him off there, saying, "Tell you what, once this coup is done, I'll come to your shop and speak with your master personally. I'm not worried about the price. I'm sure I can convince his majesty that it's in the best interests of his safety, which it would since it's my armor."

With that, Heskel quickly took out a pen and wrote down the address of the forge, as well as his and his master's names as he said, "Thank you very much for the pleasure my lord. We look forward to seeing you soon." I bowed my head lightly and made my way onto the elevator.

Upon exiting the elevator, I decided to head to the viewing park. That's probably the only place on the ship that's got to be quiet and peaceful right now.

Boy, was I wrong yet again…

I opened the door and was blasted in the face with a wall of steam as I waved my hands in front of me saying, "What the hell? Seriously? Is there nowhere on this ship that there isn't something going on?" I made my way inside, trying to figure out what was causing the steam before I heard a splash, followed by Milfeulle's voice.

"Kyaa! Your chest looks so big Forte."

What the hell did I just walk into?

"Really? But your skin is so smooth, Milfie."

I was really beginning to question why I was still in here at this point. I couldn't see anything, thanks to the steam. And I definitely couldn't smell anything, again thanks to the steam.

Vanilla's voice came next, "The water in this hot spring is effective for bruises, cuts, poor circulation, rashes, and chapped skin."

Oh right, the hot spring kit. I completely forgot about that. Smooth Mint, smooth.

The longer I tried meandering my way through the thick steam, the harder it was for me to see where I was going. I tried to find my way back to the door, but that wasn't happening either. The girls kept conversing amongst themselves while I silently tried to find my way out with no luck.

Finally, after a few minutes, I figured enough was enough. "You know, I didn't think you were going to get this set up that fast rabbit. I figured I would have had at least a day before having to worry about this."

Milfeulle chimed in saying, "Demon? Is that you? Want to join us?"

"As nice as I'm sure that would be, I've been lost in this steam for the last few minutes trying to find my way oooOOUUTT!"

I tripped over a rock and fell face first into the hot spring.

Sitting up on my side, the steam had parted, revealing the girls in their swimsuits as I laid in the water, on my side, with my fist propped under my head staring at them with a snarky look as Milfeulle slid into the water and said, "Demon, are you ok?"

"Yeah…found the spring." I splashed the water twice lightly, making all of the girls, minus Vanilla, laugh at my comment. Milfeulle and Mint placed their hands under each of my arms and helped me sit up against a rock as I said, "Thanks."

Milfeulle looked at me and said, "Aren't you going to get out of the water? Your armor will get soaked."

I chuckled as I said, "You know what, at this point, I don't care anymore. My armors soaked, my tails are soaked, I'm soaked. No matter what I do, I'm dragging half this spring through the ship back to my room…..again. Twice in a week, I just can't catch a break." I started laughing as I finished that sentence.

After making my way back to my room and changing my clothes, I spent the better part of a couple of hours drying my tails and armor. Once I was satisfied I finally got it all dry, I began to put it all back on. Before I could get very far, I heard a knock on my door. Looking over with a raised eyebrow, I said, "Come in, it's open."

The door opened and in strolled Milfeulle. She really wants to finish this conversation.

"Hey Demon, do you mind if we finish our conversation here? Where we won't be interrupted?"

I smirked and offered her a spot on my bed, where she happily sat down and said, "So, about earlier…"

I sat down across from her in a chair I pulled up, smirked and replied, "My question from earlier still stands. What are you trying to say?"

She looked down a bit sadly as she said, "Before I ask that question, there's something else I've been meaning to ask you. About what Camus said earlier that you said to Prince Shiva, about humans and Demons."

Oh right, that.

I sighed as I said, "You're wondering if I actually said that. The answer is yes, I did." She looked to the ground sadly as I continued, "However, Camus took that out of context. The whole conversation was about my interactions with humans over the course of the 200 years prior to becoming the guardian of the royal family. Back then, humans really, and I mean REALLY, did not like me. I can't begin to tell you how bad it got for me. However…"

Milfeulle cut me off as she sniffled and said, "No, I understand. You don't like me that way because I'm a human."

I perked up and quickly said, "No, that's not what I said. I said…"

She quickly stood up and said, "I'm sorry for bothering you, excuse me my lord." She ran out of my room and began crying. Well, damn, that could have gone better. The least she could have done was let me finish. So much for progress…

I made my way to Prince Shiva's chambers and upon entering, she was reading a book on the History of War. She noticed me enter and said, "Howard. Wait, I know that look. What's wrong?" I sighed heavily, sat down next to her and explained what had just happened.

After I finished my explanation, she sighed and said, "Ok, I'll summon her down here and we'll get this sorted out." I shook my head as I said, "No, unfortunately this is something I have to clear up on my own, otherwise it'll just seem like I'm using you as a cop out as it were. Though, I do greatly appreciate it."

Before I could continue, the overhead system came on as Almo's voice said, "Demon of the West, your presence is respectfully requested on the bridge." I dropped my head as Shiva patted my pauldron and said, "Go on, I'm sure you'll figure out how to solve that problem on your way there. I have yet to see an issue that can beat you."

I chuckled as I stood up and proceeded to head to the bridge.

As I entered the bridge, I walked up to Tact and Lester and said, "Ok, why am I up here?"

Tact looked at me and said, "I figured you'd want to be up here when we rendezvous with the 3rd fleet." We're there already? Time must have went by faster than I thought.

I looked over at Almo and said, "Anything on radar yet Almo?"

She shook her head, "Negative, no sign of 3rd fleet."

I placed my hand under my chin as I said, "Huh….odd. You did say we arrived at the rendezvous, correct?" Tact nodded his head as I looked over at Coco and said, "Conduct an area scan. Report anything out of the ordinary." Coco acknowledged as Lester looked at me and said, "Are you looking for something specific my lord?"

I looked back at him and said, "If we're in the right place and we're on time, I'm wondering if someone beat us here."

Tact looked at me with a grave look as he said, "That's what I'm afraid of. I've had this bad feeling ever since we received that communication to rendezvous here. So, I have the angel wing on standby, just in case things go south."

No sooner had he finished, Forte came on, "Tact, you got a minute?"

Tact perked up and said, "Sure, what's up?"

Forte continued, "We have a problem. There was an incident earlier between Milfeulle and the Demon and now her frame is showing a 30% drop in efficiency. Can you try to track him down and find out what happened?" All of the girls starting voicing irritation towards me as Tact said, "Roger, standby."

He looked at me, as did Lester as I said, "Ok, here's what happened. Milfeulle came to my room earlier and we had a discussion. She asked if what Camus said earlier about the conversation between me and Prince Shiva was true and I told her yes. I tried to explain to her that it was taken out of context, but somewhere along the way, she got the impression that I didn't like her that way and she ran out of my room before I could correct her."

Ranpha came over as soon as I finished and said, "Do you have ANY idea how unforgivable it is to break a girl's heart?! When we get relieved, I'm going to find you and…"

"Oh what are you going to do? Get that person that can stop me. What was his name….Michael McDoesn't Exist?"

Before she could respond, Mint came over next, "Milfeulle, is this true?"

Milfeulle sniffled as she said, "Yes."

Mint sighed as Ranpha said, "You better count yourself lucky that we're stuck on standby." I rolled my eyes as Coco said, "Sir, I'm detecting a small disturbance ahead." I looked over and said, "Visual please." A digital zoomed in view popped up in front of us showing a debris field as I felt my blood run cold.

Lester chimed in and said, "That is probably an old field of debris from a mock battle." I raised my eyebrow as he continued, "It's probably why the 3rd fleet wanted to meet us here. Nothing really suspicious of an old debris field, so they could probably blend in and not be noticed."

My stomach was turning looking at the debris. Something was telling me that wasn't the case here. "Coco, are you detecting any residual gases or energy discharge to indicate recent weapons fire?"

Coco was staring at her screen intently as she said, "No…..wait…yes. I'm reading several pockets of ionized gases around the debris."

That could only mean one thing.

I looked at Tact with a grave look as he said, "Elsior, hard about, get us out of here now!"

I stood back as I turned and looked at the two of them, saying, "I think that order is too late Tact."

No sooner did I finish my sentence, did several proximity alarms go off.

"Enemy fleet directly astern."

Tact immediately said, "Angel wing, deploy!" The angel wing acknowledged as Tact began giving orders on the combat situation. As he was giving orders, I heard a faint whisper. Almost at the edge of hearing, "Eonia…Bristol...pursuit…shield…death…"

I could feel a slight surging pulsating through my arm. Almost as if I'd been hooked up to an electrical conduit as it began to hurt. I did my best to ignore it as I listened to Tact before a com line opened up.

"You are the Commander of the Elsior? I've been waiting." A female voice came over.

I raised an eyebrow as Lester asked, "Who was that?"

Almo responded, "It came from the enemy fleet! They've tapped into our communications." Well, that explains how they knew 3rd fleet would be here. They probably got the same message we did.

I looked at Tact as he said, "This is for Eonia's fleet. Do not interrupt our communications without permission."

In response, the image of a female with lavender colored hair came up as she said, "That was impolite of me. My name is Sherry. Sherry Bristol." Bristol…that whisper mentioned that a second ago. I'll have to dig into that later as she continued. "I am the Commander of the Elsior Pursuit Force belonging to the Legitimate Transbaal Empire. You have my regards." Hmm, oddly polite for an enemy.

Tact then said, "Hmm. I thought all of Eonia's subordinates were men, but you look rather beautiful to me." I shot him a dirty look. Seriously? Flirting with the enemy?

Sherry responded, "Oh? Thank you. Have you already discerned the reason that I'm here?" Hmm, Elsior pursuit force, recent debris field. Nope, not a clue.

Tact replied, "Yeah, about 10 minutes ago. Please send my regards to Mr. Eonia and we'll be on our way." I really wanted to face palm, but that surging sensation in my arm was really beginning to bug me.

"…What a peculiar man. Then allow me to tell you this in no uncertain terms. Be a good little bee and return to the fold. Unless you want the same fate as the ones who were here, hand over the Prince."

Tact chimed in, "Ms. Sherry, right? You had bad grades in science, didn't you?"

…..what?

"Oh? Why?"

"There are no Princes in a beehive." Oh, for the sake of damnation.

"…That's not the point. Speaking with you was a waste of time."

"Then perhaps you'd like to speak with me." I stepped forward, which drew her attention.

"The Demon of the West. It truly is an honor to meet the legendary guardian who trained Eonia. He speaks very highly of you. I was asked to relay a message if I found you. It's not too late to come back."

I started, "Right, then if…" I stopped as that surging sensation grew to the point where I couldn't ignore it anymore, causing me to visibly flinch. Everyone looked at me as I regained my composure and finished, "…if that's the case, then you should already know my answer."

Sherry lightly shook her head as she said, "Very well. I'm sure you'll change your mind here shortly. Farewell Demon." With that, the com line closed.

As I turned, Tact looked at me and said, "Demon, are you alright? You looked like you flinched while you were talking to her." I shook my head and said, "I'm fine, just deal with her." With that, I left the bridge and began to make my way towards the medical bay.

As I entered the elevator, the surging in my arm began to pulsate and emit light blue energy waves across my arm. I don't know what was causing it, but it was hurting like hell. I tried to ignore it to the best of my ability, but the longer I waited, the worse it grew.

Stepping off the elevator onto Deck D, I made it about three steps before I had to lean against the wall and hold my arm. The pain was becoming unbearable as the energy waves grew brighter.

Next thing I heard was Almo's voice over the announcement circuit. "Incoming missile, all hands brace for shock, Starboard side!"

At that point, almost as if my arm had a will of its own, it shot up and sent out a stream of energy into the bulkhead above me. The resulting discharge caused me to scream in agony. The pain literally felt like I was dipping my arm straight into a lava pit inside of a volcano. I felt a light push against my arm. Not strong, it was almost as if a toddler was pushing it. Once the push faded away, the energy discharge shot back into my arm, causing me to drop onto the deck and pass out.


	8. Chapter 8: Support and Defend

_**Chapter 8: Support and Defend**_

The first thing I felt was my head pounding as I came too. I opened my eyes and found everything was in a haze gray fog. At first, I figured it was because my eyes were still adjusting. So, I forced myself up and took a look around, but as my vision came into focus, it became more apparent that I wasn't on the Elsior anymore.

I saw several images that seemed like they were part of the fog. I recognized each one of them as I looked around. Most of them were playbacks of events that have occurred throughout my lifetime. As I began to walk towards one of them that showed Milfeulle, I was caught off guard.

"Took you long enough to get up."

I turned sharply as I reared my claws back to defend myself. However, what I saw completely confused the hell out of me.

I was staring at myself.

"Yeah, you took a bit of a shock to your system, but you should be fine. Let me guess, you're wondering who I am, right?"

I nodded my head as he said, "I'm you. Well, the subconscious part of you that retained your humanity. Even after administering that chromosome solution to yourself all those years ago, it still wasn't quite enough to get rid of your humanity. So, you subconsciously tucked it away and I came to be. I've been rattling around in here keeping track of memories; fiddling around with the power you….we….unlocked, diverted the necessary energy to assist in your recovery time when you were wounded."

I raised an eyebrow as I looked around and said, "Well, that answers my next question." Where was I was going to be my question, however, from the sound of his…my…explanation, we're inside my mind. Man, this is going to be weird.

He gave me an apologetic look as he said, "So, since I know what your next question is going to be, follow me, I need to catch you up on what I've learned."

As we traversed through the mist, I couldn't help but look at several of the images that were mixed in as they floated by. "You like the system I've been using for our memories? I found it pretty useful in retention as well as refreshing the information every now and again."

I saw another playback with Milfeulle in it. It was the conversation we had in my room. He looked at it as he said, "Yeah, that particular one started quite a mess. And I'm not just referring to out there; it made one in here too."

I looked back at him and said, "In here? What's going on in here?"

No sooner did I finish my question did he stop and point in front of him as he said, "That is going on." I stepped forward and what I saw surprised the hell out of me.

There was a giant pattern in the ground with several blue orbs slowly pulsating, circling around the confines of the pattern as he said, "I came across that a few days ago. I've been running around in here for 370 years and this is the first time I've seen that."

As I walked around the edges of the pattern to get a better look at it, he continued, "So, I tried to experiment with it a bit to find out what it was. Turns out that chromosome solution unlocked something that was already in our DNA. What specifically, I'm not sure yet. But from the look of it, it's almost as if it was put in there on purpose. I tried to tap into it, but when your emotions started going haywire after that incident with Milfeulle, I had to split my attention and it went out of control."

I glared at him and said, "So you're the reason I went through that living hell of a muscle spasm. That hurt like hell, just so you know." He quickly raised his hand as he said, "I know, I felt it too. The difference between you and me though, is I don't have blood, so I lopped my arm off in order to pay close attention to what happened when that discharge occurred."

I looked at his arm as he said, "Of course I put it back once I was done. Like I said, difference between you and me." I chuckled as I said, "So, what happened?"

He looked at the orbs as he said, "When I found this, it was like an endless column of energy. When I lost control of it and it discharged, it basically drained itself and left itself in this state. Though, the rate of recovery is phenomenal. If my math is right, it'll be back to the way it was when I found it in about 7 hours."

I snapped my fingers as he shook his head and said, "Right, sorry. What it did was the discharge fused into the bulkhead of the ship. What it did specifically, I'm not sure. But I'm almost positive that it created a barrier or a shield around the Elsior when it did. I remember hearing Almo say there was an incoming missile. I'm not sure if you felt it, but I felt a slight nudge. Really weak, but just at the edge of being noticed. I'm guessing that was the missile that she called out making contact with the barrier."

I placed a claw inside of the pattern and one of the orbs was draw to it and hovered at the tip of my claw. It didn't have that same painful surging sensation as before. This felt cooler, almost as if I dipped my hand into a pool of room temperature water. I could see the electrical impulses dancing around the confines of its shape, which fascinated me.

As I placed the orb back inside of the pattern, he said, "I think I've got a good idea of how to manipulate it now. I've been tinkering with the small scale orbs there to see if I could figure it out before it completely regenerated so we don't have another…incident with it."

I turned back to him and said, "So, if it can form a barrier around something as big as the ship, think we can tap into it to create a more localized barrier?"

He shrugged his shoulders as he said, "Well, I don't see why not. By all accounts, if it can cover a large area, it should also be able to cover a small area as well. Though, you'll have to be careful, I can only help you so much in here when your emotions go into a train wreck like they are now."

I gave him a snarky look as I said, "A train wreck? It can't be that bad." He laughed as he said, "Dude, I have literally spent the last few hours getting them back in order. That also said I won't be able to do much outside of maintaining that control until you sort this mess out with Milfeulle. We both know you care for her a great deal. Me, well, I personally couldn't care less, but you're the one who's living life, so I'm all for it. Besides, that's one of the parts of your humanity that will enhance your power even greater than before."

My expression changed to confusion as I said, "Ok, I'll bite. How do you figure that?" He chuckled as he said, "Humans have a greater drive when they have someone to protect. You've benefited from it over the last century, you just didn't notice it. If you can bring that small spark between you and Milfeulle and turn it into a tempest, the power that you would have to protect her would be beyond anything you ever used before."

That worried me a bit. I already have a great deal of power. At what point would it become too much power? I looked back at the orbs and said, "If that's the case, then wouldn't it be better if I just let it fizzle out? If it's to the scale you're describing, then I don't know if even I can be trusted with that much power."

He walked over to me and patted my back as he said, "If there is anyone in the galaxy that I would trust with that kind of power. It would be you. I have never seen you put your own needs above someone else's, and I've been watching over the last three and a half centuries. Plus, I think it'll come in handy down the road. I've been getting glimpses of images that I've never seen before mixing in with our memories. One of which was that Sherry Bristol ambush earlier. I tried to figure out a way to relay it to you, but I'm not sure if it quite got out."

I looked at him and said, "You know, funny you mention that. I heard a faint whispering before that whole thing. I remember four words. Eonia, Bristol, pursuit, shield, and death. Any of that sound familiar?"

His expression lit up as he said, "So part of it got out, I'll be damned. Man I'm so good I scare myself, Ha ha!" I furrowed my brow as he said, "Ok, so, I did manage to snag one of the images long enough to piece together what was going on. I'm not sure if it's due to that…" Pointing at the pattern before continuing, "…or something else. But I think you're starting to gain the ability to see into the future as well. That, I can't really tell you much about because it's sporadic, and it's the equivalent to looking inside of the keyhole of a door."

I raised my eyebrows at the idea before I said, "Alright, so, then back to this guy then. You have an idea of how to control it?"

He nodded as he said, "Yeah, I can go ahead and merge that information with your memories so you'll know what to do when you wake up. Though, word of advice, start working on practicing using it as soon as you can. The sooner you get the hang of it, the more useful it will be down the road. However…"

I gave him a suspicious look as he finished, "…if you try to use it with conflicting emotions, than it's just going to go haywire again. We got lucky that last time that I managed to force it into the bulkhead of the ship at the last second. I would rather not tempt the fates twice with that. So, first thing is first, you need to sort things out with Milfeulle."

He walked over to the side before he looked up and said, "What? How the hell did THAT happen and I didn't notice it sooner?"

I looked at him in confusion as he said, "Well, it looks like our time is up. You need to wake up now." He began to form an orange globe in his hand as I said, "Why, what's going on?" As the globe solidified, he said, "The ship's been boarded, you need to help them repel them before anyone gets hurt." That surprised the hell out of me as he shot the orb into my chest, shocking the hell out of me and blinding me in a white light.

As I came too, I felt clamps being put around my wrists. I immediately shot up and knocked the guy by my other hand away as I pried the clamps off my legs and rolled onto my feet. I noticed I was in the med bay and surrounded by several soldiers who had weapons leveled at me. They weren't part of the crew on the Elsior, so I can only guess these were the boarders that my subconscious mentioned. One of them shouted at me, "Get on your knees now Demon!"

I replied, "I'm not your mother last night."

Yeah, they didn't like that answer.

As they opened fire, I shot forward and ripped the head off of one of the soldiers before swinging my claws around and impaling another. I tossed the corpse across the bay into three soldiers as I charged towards the one who shouted at me. I grabbed his head and rammed it into the bulkhead, crushing his skull under my strength. I dropped his body to the ground as the three soldiers got to their feet and started firing at me again. I quickly eviscerated two of them, and decapitated the third one.

Looking around at the carnage in the med bay, I looked down and noticed I was only dressed in a medical gown, which now had several holes in it as blood slowly began to run down my body. I didn't feel any pain, mainly because I'd learned how to will away that kind of pain years ago. However, I couldn't go running around the ship in a medical gown. A demon has to maintain some of his dignity.

As I walked out of the med bay, I heard several more weapons charge up as I looked at the battalion of soldiers that were staggered in the corridor. I lifted my bloody claw and flexed my hand, causing several cracks to pop as they opened fire and I charged into them.

 _ **Meanwhile…**_

As three more crewmen stumbled into the audience chambers of Prince Shiva, Forte fired two more shots towards the enemy soldiers that were firing towards the doors. She managed to hit one, but another stepped forward and took his place as she ducked behind cover again. She reloaded her revolver as she said, "Was that the last of the crew?"

Tact shouted back, "Yeah, that was the last of them, all hands are accounted for. So, with that said…" He ran forward and took cover behind the opposite wall with an energy pistol as he finished, "…got any ideas for how to retake the ship?" Forte glared at him as Ranpha shouted, "You're the Commander, you're the one who's supposed to come up with the plans, so start thinking!" She took a shot towards the enemy barricade, but only hit the wall.

Mint was busy with working on one of the computer panels in the room while Vanilla and Milfeulle were working on treating injuries amongst the crew. Mint opened a separate display as she said, "There! I've tapped into the enemies communications. Now we can keep track of where they're at." Prince Shiva ran over to Mint as she listened with everyone else to the enemy's comms.

All they heard was overlapping chatter and several screams with weapons fire.

Mint shook her head as she said, "For having just effectively taken over the ship, their comms are quite disorganized. I'm a bit embarrassed that we got pushed into a corner by such unprofessional antics." Forte looked back and said, "Well, it doesn't seem very unprofessional from where I'm standing." As she fired several more shots down the corridor. "Man, how many soldiers did they bring?" Before Shiva could say anything, one of the reports over the com was quite clear.

"Bravo squad to Gold actual, we've lost contact with Delta squad. Last reported position was on Deck D. The ship remains under our control, request to send scouts to investigate."

Tact looked back at Mint and said, "Deck D? What's on Deck D that would cause one of their boarding parties to…" The look on his face lit up, as did everyone else's as Milfeulle smiled and exclaimed, "He's awake?" Mint typed in several commands into the panel, bringing up a security feed from one of the cameras on Deck D. All they saw were dozens of bloodied and ripped apart bodies just lining the corridor.

Prince Shiva smiled and looked at Tact as she said, "This is where they're going to realize that they messed up."

 _ **Back to main POV…**_

I had managed to fight my way back to my quarters on Deck B. They certainly brought enough soldiers, that's for sure. There were way more soldiers than there were crew on board the ship. Odds are they brought the extra numbers for me.

Bad idea.

I ripped off the tattered medical gown that was barely clinging to my blood soaked body and quickly stepped into the shower and rinsed off all the blood so I could see my wounds. One by one, I bandaged each of them, if only to keep them from getting on my clothes after I got dressed. Once I bandaged the last of the wounds, I quickly dried off and got dressed and donned my armor. I couldn't begin to tell you how good it felt to have my armor and tails back on after running around in that damn gown.

So, first order of business, I needed to find a way to make sure Prince Shiva was safe. However, several of the on board security defense measures that were designed for boarders were off line. Probably disabled when this whole thing started. I walked over to my panel and hacked my way into the security feed for the ship.

After about a minute, I pulled up the feed for his chambers, and thankfully, she was safe. From the look of it, the entire crew was holed up and barricaded in his throne room. Good call whoever came up with that. With the crew safely out of the way, I don't have to worry about watching my targets and I can teach these guys why it's a bad idea to back a dog into a corner. With that, I left my room and made my way through the corridors, tearing through the enemy forces even faster than before as I made my way to the bridge.

 _ **In the audience chambers…**_

Forte took three more shots as Mint started flapping her rabbit ears wildly and exclaimed, "I found him! He's tearing through the enemy on Deck B heading towards the elevator. I'll see if I can't patch into his communicator." She began typing commands into the panel as Tact said, "Does he know that we're down here? If he can get the anti-personnel defense system back online, they'd make short work of these guys…WHOA!" He ducked down as a bolt hit the corner of the wall he was standing behind, narrowly missing him.

Forte fired another shot, killing another soldier as she said, "Hopefully, he knows and is already on his way to the bridge."

Ranpha fired four shots, hitting one of the soldiers as she said, "Well, it's the least he can do for all that time he spent sleeping while the rest of us were busy working."

Mint smiled and said, "Agreed, we'll have to make sure that he makes up for all that lost time." After another few seconds, a stray energy bolt ricocheted off the frame of the door and hit the panel Mint was working at, causing it to explode and sent Mint flying backwards, landing on Milfeulle and knocking her down as well.

Vanilla ran over to the two girls as Forte fired another shot, taking out the soldier that fired that shot. Milfeulle was only bruised from being hit by Mint. However, Mint's neck and part of her uniform were scorched from the explosion. Vanilla treated Mint's burns as she opened her eyes and said, "What happened? Why am I on the floor?"

She sat up and looked at the panel she was working on to find it had been destroyed. She gasped as she checked herself and found her uniform partially scorched, but no wounds on her person. She looked at Vanilla and said, "Did you treat my wounds?" Vanilla nodded as Mint thanked her and stood up, picking up an energy pistol and taking cover with Ranpha behind a barricade.

As Vanilla ran to another crewman, Milfeulle looked at the console and thought, _'Please hurry Demon.'_

 _ **Main POV**_

Clawing my way through the boarders on Deck B, I was seriously beginning to wonder if they filled this ship with all these men just to see if they could do it. As I drew closer to the elevator, the forward blast door in front of me came down and cut me off from the elevator. I turned around only to find the blast door about 20 feet behind me had also come down.

I was effectively trapped.

Granted, I could tear my way through the doors, but it would take a few minutes. When I heard the sound of hissing above me, I chuckled thinking if they were going to try to gas me out, that wasn't going to work. That was when I noticed it was getting harder to breathe.

They were pulling the air out of the space.

As I took a deep breath and reared back my claws, I heard myself whisper at the edge of my hearing. _'Close your eyes and focus your strength into your chest.'_

Not like I was in a position to argue.

So, I closed my eyes and began to focus my strength into my chest. As I did, I felt it become easier to breathe again. When the hissing stopped, I opened my eyes and began to breathe normally again. I tried smelling the air, but there was no scent to be picked up, not even my own. I was in a vacuum inside the ship and I was breathing perfectly fine. I'm beginning to wonder when I'm going to stop surprising myself when I heard another whisper. ' _Use that power to lift the door.'_

So, I stood firmly and extended my right arm towards the door. At first, nothing happened, then that surging sensation flared up and shot from my hand into the door, connecting me with the door. As I slowly lifted my hand, it felt like I was lifting that pillar back in the hanger bay again, but with one hand. The door slowly began to move upwards as the air from the elevator hall rushed in through the gap to fill the room. The initial gust forced me to shift my balance a little, but I continued to lift the door until it was fully lifted and locked in place.

I dropped my arm, feeling a slight strain in my muscles, but nowhere near any kind of pain like last time. I sprinted forward and boarded the elevator and made my way to Deck A.

As the elevator doors opened on Deck A, I was greeted by a dozen and a half soldiers standing in the elevator hall, weapons pointing towards me. I merely smirked as I charged forward and tore through them like a walking meat blender. As they shot at me and retreated, I chased them down the corridor and killed them just short of the bridge.

I grabbed two of their bodies and dragged them behind me, leaving a bloody trail behind me, as I walked onto the bridge. As the doors opened, I hurled the bodies onto the bridge, hitting two of the soldiers across the room and knocking them down.

As the rest of the squad leveled their weapons, I could hear their team leader yelling, "Gold Actual, this is Bravo team, the Demon is on the bridge, request immediate…" I tore through two soldiers and grabbed him by the throat.

I didn't let him finish his sentence.

I hurled him into the bulkhead by the port side operator's station as 5 more soldiers ran up the opposite side and began firing at me. I turned and weaved through their weapons fire and closed to melee distance.

As I reached them, I grabbed one rifle and dismembered the soldiers arm from it before throwing it into the guy behind me, knocking him off balance. I charged forward and impaled him and ripped part of his spine out through his chest. I whipped the spine around and knocked one of the soldiers in the head, knocking him to the ground as he struggled to get up.

I hurled the spine at two more soldiers before charging forward and sliced one soldier's carotid artery with my claws before rearing my hand back and sliced the air, sending out several bright red blades that diced those two soldiers into mince-meat. As I turned and saw four more soldiers rush to cover and help their squad leader, I closed my hand and held up my first two fingers as my claws began to glow. They opened fire and started pelting me with energy bolts as I whipped my hand around, sending out an energy whip that ricocheted between all four of them and sliced them into several pieces. As the energy whip retracted back into my claws, I walked forward through the carnage towards the squad leader, who was only alive because I wanted him alive, and punched him in the temple, knocking him clean out.

I proceeded over to the operator's console and found there were several boarding craft preparing to attach onto the Elsior's hull. Guess they managed to call for those reinforcements. So, to keep them from getting on, I polarized the hull of the ship using the Chrono string engines, preventing the boarding craft from attaching onto the hull. I then punched in several commands, since a security lockout had been initiated, to try and gain access to the security subroutines.

As I was hacking into the system, I heard several footsteps behind me. The scent was still identical to the soldiers that I've been running into thus far. So I reared my right hand back with my first two fingers and threw out another energy whip, killing them as soon as they crossed the threshold of the door.

After what felt like forever, I finally gained access to the security subroutines and found the anti-personnel defense turrets access. Of course, they'd been disabled. So, I smiled and said, "Alright boys, time for the ship to have some fun." I re-enabled the security protocol and set the targeting parameters to all targets that didn't match the DNA profile of all embarked crew and passengers. After that, I engaged the system.

Let the games begin.

I heard several bursts of fire from the auto turrets in the hallway behind me as I walked over to take a quick peek. I leaned out of the doorway to find several soldiers get mowed down by the security system. I couldn't help but smile as I said, "Good girl."

I walked back over to the operator's console and pulled up the security feed from all decks. I watched as the boarders were cut down by the ships own defense turrets. A lot of them tried to return fire or take cover, but the ship was too fast for them. As I moved to open a comm channel with the audience chambers, I received an incoming comm request from outside of the ship. I groaned as I realized I forgot to check what the surrounding situation looked like. I opened the channel as I heard Eonia's voice com over from the display that popped up at the center of the bridge.

"Bravo team, report. Why is the hull to the Elsior polarized?"

I casually strolled over to the center of the bridge and said as I came into view, "Because I don't like uninvited guests barging in like they own the place. Long time no see Eonia."

Eonia's face had a look of shock as he said, "Howard. I…I didn't think you were…"

"Awake? Yeah, I had only just come too when I found a few of your boys trying to put clamps on me. Of course when I knocked them back and got up, they yelled at me to get on my knees. To which, I replied, 'I'm not your mother last night.' They took exception to that. Buuut, you know how that song and dance goes, and I killed all but one of them."

Eonia raised an eyebrow as he said, "What happened to the last one?"

I smirked and said, "I've got something….special in mind for him. But I digress. How've you been doing? Last I heard, you came back, blew up the place I was living in, killed most of the royal family which were my friends, I might add, and forced us to retreat while you declared yourself king. Gotta say, a lot of that goes against what I taught you growing up bud. I don't get a lot of this.

Eonia chuckled as he said, "What's not to understand, I took what was rightfully mine and I'm working towards ushering in a new age for the empire. One that will be even greater than before."

I waved my hand as I said, "That's not what I mean. I mean, one, where in the literal hell did you get ALL these ships? I mean seriously, I've never seen that big of a fleet put together in such a short span of time, and I've been around for a few centuries. Two, I was under the impression most of your commanders were men until we ran into Ms. Bristol. Gotta say, you still have good taste bro. My boy." Throwing up my hands in the shape of guns as I continued. "Three, why did you have to blow up the palace? I mean, honestly, you couldn't send in a team of assassins, or a couple of elite strike teams to kill the royal family? That palace was actually nice, I can't believe you blew it to hell. Overkill much? The first thing I taught you was Patience always pays its dues. However, in this case, you did the exact opposite of patience and as a result, here we are."

Eonia was completely confused at this point as he said, "Soooo….you're joining me? Is that what I'm getting from this?" I face palmed as I said, "No, Eonia, I'm not joining you. I'm trying to get you to understand each of the lessons I taught you over the years has a purpose. You were like a son to me. What you're doing right now is going against every single thing I taught you. Why do you think I'm not dead, despite your best efforts so far?"

It was at that point he said, "Enough, I will not stand and be scolded by you. I offer you one last chance to join me at my side. You will not receive any more chances after this if you refuse."

I sighed and shook my head as I said, "You already know my answer. That doesn't mean I'm going to give up on you yet, Eonia." I closed the comm channel and ran over to the operator's console. I punched in several commands, engaging the Chrono drive as the ships opened fire on the Elsior. Before any of the weapons could make contact with the ship's hull, we shot off into Chrono space, causing them all to fly past harmlessly.

I shook my head again as I looked back at the security feed to find the Angel wing slowly peeking out from the throne room. I looked at the security system status and it showed green across the board. I opened a comm channel to the audience chambers and said, "The ship has been cleared of boarders and we have engaged Chrono drive. All hands, conduct deck by deck clean up and repairs. Medical team, standby to receive wounded in the med bay. Commander Mayers, Subcommander Coolduras, report to the medical bay for prisoner interrogation."

With that, I walked over and picked up the squad leader, who was still unconscious, and carried him down to the medical bay, as I left a trail of my own blood behind me from my wounds.


	9. Chapter 9: Shifting the Balance

_**Chapter 9: Shifting the balance**_

Upon arriving at the med bay, I tossed the squad leader on a table and pulled his side arm from his belt. I checked him for any further weapons before strapping him down with several restraints. Shortly after I fastened the last restraint, Tact, Lester, as well as the Angel wing with Dr. Cera all came into the med bay. Their first reaction was of happiness as they looked at me. Next thing I knew, I felt something land against my side. I looked down, and Milfeulle was clinging onto me for dear life.

I chuckled as I said, "Nice to see you too Milfeulle. Is everyone alright?" They all nodded as Tact and Lester walked over with Dr. Cera to the squad leader I had strapped down. I placed one arm around Milfeulle so she wouldn't think her hug was pointless as I said, "So, first question I have to ask. How long was I out?"

Mint spoke up, "You were found unconscious in the corridor of this deck by the elevator. A few of the crewmen carried you here and you were unconscious for almost 2 days." My eyebrows shot up as Milfeulle started crying into my armor. I looked down at her and said, "Why are you crying?" She sniffled and looked up at me as she said, "I was terrified that I wouldn't get the chance to apologize to you for running out of your room like I did."

I knelt down a bit as I said, "Hey, you have nothing to apologize for. I should have phrased that explanation better so you understood where I was coming from more clearly. If anything, I owe you an apology. So, with that said, can you forgive me?"

She smiled as she wiped her tears away and said, "Of course, how could I stay mad at you?" I see what she did there.

Vanilla stepped forward and said, "You are wounded, please have a seat so that I may treat you." I looked down and forgotten that I'd been riddled with holes during my little escapade. I walked over to a table and sat down as I looked at the angel wing and said, "Ok, so, what happened with that battle from Sherry? Last thing I remember was Almo calling out an inbound missile."

Lester was the one who answered. "A barrier had been erected around the Elsior that stopped the missile without touching the ship. From what we saw on security footage, you shot like a beam of energy out of your hand and it was the source of the barrier. After that stunt, we managed to fight our way through and engaged the Chrono drive. We dropped out of Chrono drive to navigate around an asteroid belt, but there was an enemy fleet hiding behind a few of them. Before we could react, we'd been boarded. We tried to fight them off at first, but they hacked into our systems and disabled the security subroutines. After that, they just kept coming, so we rallied in the Prince's chambers and we were getting ready to launch a counter offensive to retake the ship. However, we tapped into enemy comms and received word that you'd woken up. At which point, the Prince decided to let you do what you do best while we held our position."

I lifted up my arm as Vanilla was treating my wounds. "Yeah, as it turns out there's more to my power than I originally thought." I made my hand glow a light blue, causing the girls to gasp in surprise before I dispelled the glow and said, "Hopefully, with some practice, I'll be able to apply this in a much more controlled fashion as opposed to last time. That way I don't end up like swiss cheese again." The girls chuckled at my joke as Vanilla said, "Treatment complete."

No sooner did she say that, I could hear the squad leader groan a bit. Looks like he was finally waking up. I stood up and walked over to him and stood by Tact and Lester when he opened his eyes. He immediately tried to sit up, but was stopped by the restraints. He reached for his side to realize that his sidearm was also missing as I said, "Good, now that you're awake, I've got a few questions for you." All he did was glare at me as Tact looked at me and said, "Somehow, I don't think he is in a talking mood."

I stood over him as I pressed a claw against his cheek, causing him to flinch as I drew blood and said, "Oh, trust me, he'll soon change his mind."

Within a matter of minutes, and a few pints of blood later, we managed to find out that the allied fleet from the Gimson system had been ambushed and wiped out, which caused a bit of worry amongst the angel wing. Before we threw him in the brig, we also found out that Eonia has a secret weapon at his disposal. However, despite how much I….encouraged…him, the squad leader had no idea what that was.

Upon returning to the bridge, Tact looked at me and said, "Well, I'm sure you're already aware of this, but the entire ship owes a very big debt to you. Thank you for bailing us out of that sticky situation." I chuckled as I said, "Trust me Tact, I've dealt with way worse than that over the years. It was nothing. Besides, it falls under my duty to ensure his majesties safety. So, frankly, I was doing my job."

Tact smiled as he insisted, "Still though, to repel that many boarders by yourself. That's no small task. Once this is over, I'm going to make sure that you get properly rewarded. You single-handedly saved us from total disaster." I rolled my eyes as I looked at Lester and said, "I'm not going to get him to change his mind, am I?"

He chuckled and said, "Unfortunately, no, my lord. Once Tact sets his mind to something, he's like a dog with a bone." I threw him a dirty look before he realized what he said and apologized for the jab. As I looked over at Tact, I asked, "So where are we off too next?"

Tact's expression dropped instantly and turned into one of worry as he said, "Well…we're going to try to head to one of the backup meeting places to see if maybe the fleet managed to escape to meet up with us there. Though, I'll be honest. I can't help but have a bad feeling about it. I don't know how, but they've been able to figure out where we've completed drive out the last few times. So, I'm worried we might run into trouble again."

I dropped my head as I said, "Great. All that work clearing out the ship might have been a complete waste. Of course there would be a catch with escaping that mess. Though, there is one good thing to come out of that."

Lester and Tact both looked at me in confusion as I finished, "We have Eonia's attention. He was on board one of the battleship's out there leading this whole boarding mess. Somehow, he knew I was indisposed because when I came too, his men were in the process of shackling me. Not that it would have done much good, but still. The fact that he knew has me worried. Did you sweep the ship for bugs like I ordered?"

Lester nodded, "Yes, we found several dozen across the ship and destroyed them all." I placed a hand under my chin as I said, "Then how could he possibly have known I was out?" Of course, I already had a theory, but I wasn't too big of a fan of it. We either missed a bug, or we had a traitor on board. Seeing as I don't want to cause a bigger mess than we already have to deal with, I'll just keep that to myself for the time being.

I shook my head as I said, "I'm going to have a word with Prince Shiva. He'll want a full report of what I had to do in order to reclaim the ship. I'll be back later." They both nodded as I left the bridge and headed towards the elevator. I began to think about what else could have transpired that led to him finding out when I heard a whisper. ' _Don't forget….Milfeulle…'_ Oh right, still had to clear that up too. Well, no time like the present.

As I stepped off the elevator, I heard Tact come over the loudspeaker. "Angel Wing, report to the hanger. You're on standby." Well…damn, so much for dealing with that problem now. No sooner had I thought that, Ranpha came around the corner from her room, shooting me a dirty look almost instantly.

"Don't think I forgot about what you did to Milfie, Demon."

I rolled my eyes and said, "You know, I was actually down here to try to clear that up with her when Tact passed that standby order. So, I'm going to see if I can't nab her and ask to talk to her after that gets sorted out. So, relax. I really don't want to have to kick your butt for a seventh time in a row." She glared at me at first, then shifted it into a smile as she chuckled and said, "Yeah, we'll see about that. You've been lucky these last few rounds. Don't go counting me out yet. But, seriously, don't hurt Milfie. Otherwise I'll…" I shooed her off, saying, "Yeah, yeah, I get it, now go on before someone comes looking for you." She then ran past me towards the hanger as I made my way towards Milfeulle's room.

As I approached her door, it came open and she ran out, almost running into me. She stopped as she said, "Demon! I'm sorry, I didn't mean to…" I stopped her midsentence as I said, "It's alright, I was actually hoping to snag you to try and actually finish our conversation. Unfortunately, Tact had other plans. So, after you get back, can I talk to you?" She looked at me with a smile and said, "Sure. Actually, could you do me a favor?" I smiled and said, "Sure, what's up?" She pointed in her room and said, "I was kneading dough to make bread when we got called to standby. Could you do me a favor and finish kneading it and put it into the oven at 375 degrees for me? It should take about 30 minutes to bake, so, it shouldn't take very long." My eye twitched a bit as she explained what she needed. I was never very good when it came to cooking anything beyond simple dishes.

"Ehhh…..to hell with it. It sounds easy enough. Sure."

"Yay! Thank you so much Demon! Gotta go!" With that, she took off as I looked at her room and sighed. "I hate cooking…."

Before I could get to work, however, my communicator chirped. I opened a comline and said, "Demon here, go ahead."

It was Forte. "Demon, could you go check Mint's room? We can't get a hold of her and we were just placed on standby."

"Good timing, I'm right by her room anyway, I'll give it a bang. Demon out."

I walked the ten feet to her door, and put my ear against it. I could hear what sounded like cute little snores coming from inside. Was she sleeping? I had a big grin on my face as I decided to get some payback for leaving me out of that supply request list. I balled up my fist and twisted around to get a good amount of momentum going, and then…

* **BAM BAM BAM***

I heard a tiny scream inside, followed by a loud thud. I think I made her leap out of bed and hit the deck. I was trying so hard not to laugh as I heard her footsteps coming towards the door. When the door opened, she had an exhausted look of irritation on her face as she glared at me while I was smiling at her.

"What in the world Demon? What was that for? Can't a girl get some beauty sleep?"

"Well, normally, I'd be all for it. However, a certain someone is missing from her assigned post and I was the one that got sent to go find her. Oh, by the way, you're on standby, you might want to put some clothes on before getting in your frame." I snickered a bit as I pointed out her sleepwear, causing her to blush profusely and twitch her rabbit ears wildly as she said, "I don't go to bed in my uniform, what did you expect? Besides, I never heard anything about being called to standby."

Cue Forte.

"Yo, Demon, you find her yet?"

"Yeah, she was passed out in her bed. I just got done knocking her door down. Once she gets dressed, she'll be down." I heard several audible gasps as I quickly said, "Oh, get your minds out of the gutter, she was in her sleeping attire when she answered the door. Geez, you girls really have no respect for me, I swear."

As soon as I closed the comline, Mint said, "I'll get down there….wait. This was payback for earlier, wasn't it?" Tossing me an evil glare as I happily said, "Oh, this is only the beginning of that, my dear Mint. You can count on that." I laughed maniacally as I walked over to Milfeulle's room and walked in to come face to face with the dough she was kneading on the counter by the stove. Ok, let's hope I don't burn the ship down.

After a little over half an hour, the bread was done, and it wasn't burnt, surprisingly. I placed it on top of the stove and turned the oven off as I walked out of her room. No trace of any of the girls' scents in the air. They must still be in the hanger. So, I decided to head to the bridge to see what made Tact so jumpy before I gave my report to Prince Shiva.

Upon entering the bridge, we exited Chrono drive and the proximity alarms went crazy as Coco said, "Hostile fleet…directly ahead…" So they knew where we were going. I'm beginning to wonder if they really did get the same message we did and they managed to break the encryption we had. Lester ordered, "What's in front of us? Give us a proper report." She stammered as she said, "I…I can't count! Anyway, it's a huge fleet! I've never seen this many!" Almo chimed in as she said, "I've got an image. Displaying on the main screen!"

The image that was displayed showed the better part of what appeared to be hundreds of ships in front of us. Yup….we pissed someone off. As Lester and Tact were conversing about what to do, Coco called out, "Chrono drive reaction behind us!" Lester asked, "Allied forces?" Odds are it was part of that boarding fleet that we managed to ditch earlier.

Coco said, "No…it's the fleet we fought back at the asteroid belt." I chuckled as I said, "Oh, back for more, are they? They're persistent, I'll give them that." A separate image popped up as Sherry opened a comline with the Elsior. "Heh heh heh, I've got you now, little bee. Our game is at an end. Even if you run from me, you cannot escape Lord Eonia's grasp." Funny, I managed to break it just fine the first time by myself. Guess he wants best two out of three.

Almo then said, "We're being hailed by the flagship of the enemy fleet in front of us." Tact said, "Open a channel." Another image popped up with Eonia's face on it as he said, "This will be the first time we've spoken face to face. Do I need to introduce myself?" I rolled my eyes as he addressed Tact. I stepped over to Coco's station and read her readout as she yelped at me standing over her. I shushed her as I read the radar readout. A pincer tactic, huh? Well, two can play that game. I overviewed the map and noticed the star that was at the far corner. The magnetic fields that star gave off could provide the perfect cover for a getaway. As I stood up, the comlines from Eonia and Sherry closed and Almo said, "Sir, we're receiving another communication. It's from our allies!"

I raised an eyebrow as she continued, "I've decoded the message. It says, 'Come to point YJn631 as quickly as you can." Funny, that's where the star I was just looking at on the map was. Someone beat me to the punch. I'll have to shake the hand of whoever that commander is. As Lester began to argue, I came up with an idea that might buy us time to get there relatively unscathed.

"Tact, set a course through the enemies left flank to get to that point. The Angel wing can provide covering fire and I can reinforce the ship with a barrier to repel any hits." Lester looked at me and said, "My lord, the last time you did that, you were knocked unconscious for two days. We don't need to risk your well-being again for something we can…" I stopped him as I said, "It's part of my job to ensure his majesties safety. Now, Tact?" He nodded and said, "Angel Wing, your orders are to escort the Elsior to this point here. Do not pursue the enemy, this is strictly a blow through op. If any ships get too close, engage with discretion."

The angel wing rogered up as we began making our way forward and I stepped down onto the deck in front of the command platform. I began to focus my power, causing my arms to glow a light blue. As we closed in on the enemy's left flank, I shot my arms outward to each of my sides and two energy discharges shot into the bulkhead and formed a barrier around the Elsior. At first, it felt uncomfortable, but after a few seconds of adjustment, it felt solid.

Then it began.

As we turned towards the star, several alarms went off as Almo shouted, "Incoming enemy fire. Several missiles and energy blasts! All hands, brace for shock!" I stood my ground as I heard that whisper again. ' _Maintain your focus. Ignore the distractions.'_ I held the barrier up as I felt several small pushes against my hands. I glanced at one of the monitors to my left and saw the incoming fire Almo called out hitting my barrier and burning out. I could feel the strain on my arms as we made our way across the field. The enemy didn't let up on the bombardment, however, my barrier held true as we began to pull away from the ships.

After about ten minutes of sprinting towards the point we were called too, the ships were no longer in firing range. Tact said, "Alright, we're here, now where are our allies?" I dropped my arms and cut off the barrier, forcing the energy to shoot back into my arms. I cringed for a minute with the sudden shock that I felt, but managed to stay on my feet as I walked over towards him, shaking my arms out. Next thing I heard was Coco shouting out.

"Chrono drive reaction in front of us!"

Lester looked at her and said, "More enemy reinforcements?"

Tact shook his head as Almo brought up the image in front of us, showing several Imperial ships driving out in front of us. I couldn't help but smile at our change of luck. Almo then called, "We're being hailed. It's from the allied fleet."

I nodded to Almo, who opened a channel. The image that popped up in front of us had me grinning from ear to ear.

"Oh? So our message reached you. I was worried about that."

I began laughing, causing everyone to look at me with worry as I said, "Luft, you son of a bitch! Am I damn glad to see you! Lock weapons on the enemy behind us and let 'em have it!" Luft looked to the side and nodded. The Imperial ships opened fire as we passed into the line of ships, clearing the way for Luft's ships. The enemy fleet that was chasing us was forced to retreat. Let me tell you, it felt damn good to no longer be the mouse in this game of cat and mouse.

After we fell into formation with the allied fleet, Luft took a shuttle over to the Elsior and met us on the bridge. Upon entering the bridge, I was the first to greet him. "Ha ha! Swooping in to the rescue, you always did have the gift for dramatic timing. Glad to see somethings never change." I shook Luft's hand firmly before letting him address Tact, Lester and the Angel wing. As they conversed, I quietly listened to him explain what happened after we split up. Apparently, without the Elsior, they lost interest in his fleet. Wow, they must really not like us.

Despite the lack of imperial presence anywhere else, as it turns out, the 3rd fleet had rallied to Rhome well ahead of us. Not only that, but most of the imperial forces also rallied with them. Luft took tactical command of the Elsior and took us to rendezvous with them. The man at the center of it, however, left a lingering taste in my mouth…

"…And the man at the center of it is the commander of the 3rd Fleet, Admiral Sigurd Sidmeier."

I groaned as I said, "Fucking hell, seriously? There was nobody else that managed to make here that could lead this other than THAT jack ass? I mean seriously, anybody else would do."

The Angel wing and Tact just looked at me with a confused look as Luft said, "Now, now Demon, I know you've had your differences…"

"The guy trash talked me at the royal gala four years ago to the point where I punched him in the nose. Then he tried having me arrested for it. Though, it was funny when the cops showed up and they realized who they were there for."

Luft shook his head, sighing before finishing, "…but he's still the best person to lead our fleet against Eonia."

I threw him a dirty look, saying, "Luft, I know for a fact that you would do a way better job than that blowhard could even begin to dream to do. You were one of my best soldiers in the schism wars and you learned the most from me. I'm quite confident that Prince Shiva would agree with me when I bring it up." Luft quickly said, "No, we can't afford division in the ranks at a time like this. He stepped up, and he is my superior officer, so I'll follow his lead as he commands." I shook my head as I walked off the bridge and said, "I'm going to go clear my head. I'm going to need it if I run into that idiot while we're there."

Walking through the hall, as I was making my way to the audience chambers on Deck C, my comline chirped. Opening a line, I said, "Demon here, go ahead." It was Milfeulle. "Demon, there's trouble!" I stopped in my tracks as I glanced to the side and said, "Are you alright Milfeulle?" She quickly said, "Come to the viewing park quickly." The comline closed as I grew worried. I quickly made my way into the elevator, Mint ran into the elevator behind me as she said, "Milfie called you too?" I nodded as I said, "Did she tell you what the trouble was?" She shook her head as the elevator began to head up. I began to pace while waiting for the elevator since I was worried that she might have been hurt, or worse. Mint sighed as she said, "I understand that you're worried, but pacing won't help the elevator go faster." I quickly retorted, "The fact that she's in trouble and I have no clue why gets under my skin. I don't like feeling useless." As the elevator approached Deck A, I knelt in front of Mint, saying, "Hop on my back. I don't want to leave you to catch up." She blushed lightly before she stepped forward and wrapped her arms around my neck. Standing up, I grabbed each of her legs and prepared to run as she said, "Milfie was right, your fur is soft." What is with these girls and my fur? Next thing I know, Ranpha will be saying that…actually, I'm going to shut up before I jinx myself.

Once the elevator opened on Deck A, I said, "Hang on tightly." I bolted forward with my demonic speed, causing Mint's grip around my neck to tighten tenfold as we flew through the corridors towards the park. Within seconds, we were in front of the park door, where everyone else was just running up as Forte said, "Milfie called you guys too?" I knelt down and let Mint off as I nodded andmoved towards the door. As the door opened, I bolted inside ahead of everyone else and found Milfeulle standing by the tree, which was in full bloom. Odd, that tree hasn't bloomed since I got on board. I looked at Milfeulle and said, "Are you alright? Where's the trouble?"

She looked at us and said, "Look at this! Isn't it beautiful?" My expression immediately shot to confusion as I said, "…..what?" She continued, "See? All these flowers! I was walking around and I found this." Tact came running in as Milfeulle was talking and asked, "What's going on? Where's the trouble?" I dropped my head a bit as she kept talking about the flowers. Man, I was terrified that she'd been hurt. Sometimes I can't help but wonder about her. Maybe that was what was drawing me towards her was her innocence. However, before I could continue with my train of thought, in came Ranpha's voice.

"…uh, what?"

"Huh?"

"You can't mean that this was the "trouble" can you?"

"Y…yeah."

"Don't call it trouble unless it is! This isn't how I want to spend my time off!"

"But it's so beautiful. See? They're all blooming."

"If only the one in your brain would bloom already!"

Mint and I chuckled as she said, "I never get tired of their comedy, no matter how often I hear it."

"We're not doing comedy!"

I was trying so hard to keep quiet at this point. ' _So many choices at snappy comebacks, can't even begin to decide where to begin.'_

Mint smiled and said, "I don't think they need any help. Their comedy is quite entertaining by itself."

' _Really? Walking in on my thoughts again? Do you want a repeat performance of earlier, or would you like to get a full night of sleep this time?'_

Mint's expression dipped a bit as she said, "Point taken."

' _Good girl.'_

Unbeknownst to us, the conversation had continued without us realizing it as Milfeulle explained it was a Kafukafu tree from a planet that disappeared after the Chrono quake. Mint jumped back into the conversation as she said, "So it is an endangered species. I was not aware that it was such a valuable tree."

Milfeulle continued to explain the tree only bloomed every 100 years. Sounds like the perfect tree for me since I don't know if I'll ever actually die. But that's another story. The mention of an outdoor party snapped me out of my thoughts.

After about an hour, the entire crew was gathered in the park to enjoy the festivities that Milfeulle mentioned. I felt extremely uncomfortable as everyone crowded together when Milfeulle called for everyone's attention while Tact spoke to the crew. I stood near the back, so as not to have anyone press against my armor, nor have anyone step on my tails. Tact began to talk, then Forte hurried him along, at which point he said, "Let's skip the boring stuff. Everyone cut loose and have fun. Cheers!" The park reverberated with the crew responding with Cheers in kind. As the girls gathered around the base of the tree with Tact, I decided to excuse myself from the festivities, I figured I could come back and enjoy the flower blossoms alone later.

I was never a fan of big parties. The only reason I went to a lot of the royal balls and gala's and the such was because I had to provide protection for my charge. Whether it was Shiva, Eonia, Gerard when he was growing up, or someone else from the royal family, I was always there as a guardian. Never as an actual attendee. I decided to make my way to the audience chambers so I could finally give my report to Prince Shiva.

Upon arriving, Shiva was overlooking the Chess set messing with the pieces and their movements. She noticed me come in and said, "Howard! Glad to see you up and about. I never properly thanked you for clearing out the ship." As I walked over to her, she stood up and looked at me.

"As I told Tact before, it's part of my duty as your guardian. Besides, I wasn't about to let my reputation fall into ruins. I am the Demon of the West after all." She chuckled as I continued, "I also wanted to let you know that Eonia was leading the fleet that was working on boarding the Elsior. He tried to get me to turn over to his side again. I let him have an earful until he decided he'd had enough." I took a seat by the Chess set as did she before she said, "I can't say I'm surprised. You were his guardian for most of his life, so I can understand why he doesn't hold much ill will towards you. Though, at the same time, I think he's worried about your abilities."

I raised an eyebrow before she continued, "Well, think about it. You cleared out hundreds of armed, heavily armored men by yourself with nothing but your claws and your blood abilities. You also single-handedly turned the tide of the Schism wars and took a war that had dragged on for almost ten years and ended it within three months of my grandfather ordering you to step in and settle it. Plus, from what I've been told, you recently uncovered a new ability that allows you to form a barrier around the ship. Eonia may have numbers on his side, but numbers don't win wars. I think that was one lesson you taught him that might have actually stuck. I know I'm keeping it to heart after this." I chuckled as I set up the pieces on the board. She then looked at me and said, "Fancy a match?" I smiled and said, "Your move, your highness."

After our game, which lasted about an hour, and filling her in on everything that happened, I decided to take my leave to see if the party in the park had finally died down. Upon leaving the audience chambers, I was greeted by Mint, who was sniffing a lot from a runny nose.

"Demon? I was wondering where you disappeared too. You missed a really fun party. Though, I don't know why, but a lot of us started having problems near the end. Ranpha and Forte's eyes were itchy, my nose is running." I began to smile as she said, "What are you smiling about?"

"You guys are allergic to the Kafukafu tree? Oh this is rich. Ha ha ha."

She gave me a dirty look before sneezing, causing me to laugh more as I grabbed her hand and said, "Come on, you're going to the medical bay. Let's go." She tried fighting me, hitting my gauntlet as she said, "What? No! I don't want to go to the medical bay, it's just a runny nose. I'll be fine after having some nice herbal tea, noooo!" This lasted a few minutes before I turned and looked at her with a devious smile. Realizing what I was thinking, her ears flapped wildly as she said, "You wouldn't dare!"

Wrong answer.

I grabbed her and tossed her over my shoulder and continued to make my way to the medical bay as she pounded around at my back and pauldrons, albeit not very strongly, trying to wiggle free.

As we arrived in the med bay, there was a line going out the door of crew members sniffing and complaining about one thing or the other. Apparently, everyone on the ship was allergic to this damn tree. Guess I'll have to go check it out to see if I'm allergic as well or not. Upon walking in, I set Mint down on an empty bed as Dr. Cera said, "You two as well? This hay fever is really getting out of hand." I waved my hand, saying, "I'm perfectly fine Doc, Mint, however…" She gave me a pouty look as Vanilla came over and began to treat her symptoms.

Now, I'm no doctor, but Vanilla was looking extremely pale compared to the last time I saw her in the park a few hours ago. I looked at Dr. Cera and said, "Why is Vanilla pale? Is she affected by this as well?" She looked at her and said, "No, she was one of the few that was unaffected. Though, she has been working nonstop for the last 45 minutes treating everyone on the crew." I looked at Vanilla, then at Doc and said, "Five more people, then she is to take a 15 minute break. Understood?" Dr. Cera nodded as I walked out of the med bay with Mint shouting, "Don't think I'm going to forget about this!" I laughed maniacally as I walked out the door, causing everyone to look at me with a worried and confused combination.

Since everyone was lined up outside of the medical bay because of hay fever, it's probably a pretty safe bet that nobody was left at the park. So, I made my way up to the park, and sure enough, nobody was there. So, I walked up to the Kafukafu tree, which was still in blossom and decided to hop into the tree and lean amongst the branches, taking in the scent of its flowers while I could. The scent was a sweet smell, like a combination of honey and vanilla. I can understand why Milfeulle suggested a party to watch them bloom. As I enjoyed the scent and look of the flowers, I decided to let my mind wander and get lost in the euphoria of the flowers. I wasn't feeling any of the effects of hay fever, but I definitely felt extremely relaxed.

After a few hours, I decided I'd go ahead and head back to my room. Though, one thing I will do before I forget is to get a few samples of the flower. For a plant that blooms everyone 100 years, there may be alchemical uses for the flower. However, I will do some research into that after the coup. The most I can do now is take as many samples as I can and seal them away for later use.

I went back to the medical bay to pick up a storage unit that could hold the flowers and preserve them. The line had shrunk a bit since then however, it was still noticeably long. As I made my way over to the laboratory, Dr. Cera noticed me and said, "Demon, is there something I can help you with?" I started looking through storage containers as I said, "Yeah, do you have any storage units that can suspend animation of samples for extended periods of time?" At first, she looked at me in shock before she said, "Y…yes, over here. Why?" I grabbed the largest one and said, "I'm going to take as many samples of those Kafukafu flowers as I can and conduct a few alchemical experiments with them after this Coup is put down. I don't get opportunities like this very often, so I'm going to make the most of it." She glared at me as she said, "Now hold on a minute, you can't carry those flowers through the ship, what if you drop the container and the pollen gets into the air circulation system? The outbreak could start all over again." I glared at her as I said, "If you want to insult me, just call me a douchebag, at least it's polite." She stood silent in shock as I left and made my way back to the park to get my samples.

Once I put the samples away in the medical lab away from everything else, I made my way back towards the elevator. I decided to get a drink from one of the vending machines in the hallway. After I chugged down a nice warm milk tea, I tossed it over toward the recyclable bin. However, I missed and it landed in the garbage can. Whoops. I started to make my way over to the can to pick it out when I heard Mint's voice.

"Demon…I saw that."

I turned and looked at her before saying, "Yeah, my aim isn't quite as good as it used to be."

Mint then continued, "Our revered Guardian of the Royal Family doesn't follow the rules for sorting garbage. How disappointing…" Wait a minute, what?

"Uhhhh, Mint? It's just a can…I was just about to put it in it's rightful bin."

"Hmph! Aren't you just trying to smooth things over since I caught you?"

"Why do I get the distinct impression that you're after something?"

"How did you end up such an unprincipled man? What if everybody else knew…" Yup, she's trying to get payback for earlier.

"What? That I can't hit the right bin from ten feet away? Oh yeah, that'll get everyone doubting my abilities all right."

"One thing can show everything. The everyday actions can show a man's true character. Like water leaking from a small hole in a huge dam, eventually the entire thing collapses…This small crime will destroy all our faith in you. It's only a matter of time."

"…..what?"

"And when that happens, the Elsior and all of the Angel wing will be finished."

"I think you've been hanging around Ranpha too long. Her melodramatic tendencies appear to be rubbing off on you."

"Demon…the final days of a man who is trusted by nobody are miserable…"

"Ok, I'm going to stop you right there young lady. I spent 250 years alone with people trying to kill me on a day to day basis. Not to mention people would cower and run in fear whenever I did decide to come out of my isolation for just basic things. Do you know how bad it is when people run in fear when you come into town just to buy a snack? Seriously? Unbelievable. That was in bad taste, Mint."

I stormed off, leaving Mint calling after me by the vending machines as I made my way back to my room. That started out as a teasing joke, but that ended ripping open an old wound. Thanks for the firm reminder of my past Mint. Real Classy.

 _ **Hello everyone, just a quick disclaimer reminder, I don't own the Galaxy Angel series, or the character Inu-no-Taisho, from the Inuyasha series that my OC is styled after.**_

 _ **Howard: Did you really have to go that far?**_

 _ **What?**_

 _ **Howard: With Mint there at the end?**_

 _ **Gotta end the chapter with some juicy material to keep people coming back. Besides, nobody is perfect, you're bound to have fights with your friends at one point or another. So, you shouldn't be surprised at this point.**_

 _ **Howard: That's still screwed up.**_

 _ **You'll live. Anyway, please leave a review and let me know your thoughts on the story so far and we'll see you in the next chapter.**_


	10. Chapter 10: Nobody's Perfect

_**Chapter 10: Nobody's perfect**_

Once I got to my room, I decided to get some sleep and try to sleep some of this irritation off. I do like Mint, she's probably one of the best friends I have on the ship. At least I'd like to think so, but that was below the belt. I'm all for teasing and joking around, but still, that part of my life was an absolute misery. I spent a lot of time trying to get past the anger I held towards people because of that. To rip that wound open again, even if it wasn't intentional was still painful.

A few hours passed and I was lying in my bed in a pair of gym shorts when I heard a knock on my door. I opened my eyes and said groggily, "Who is it?"

"It's Mint, can I come in? I'd like to apologize for earlier."

I sighed, sat up and grabbed my red under tunic and tossed it on as I said, "Sure, come on in Mint." The door opened and in she walked. I was sitting on my bed, still blinking the sand out of my eyes as she jumped and said, "Oh! I'm so sorry! I didn't know you were sleeping, I can come back later."

I waved her over saying, "No, come on in. I decided to get some shut eye to try and calm down after earlier."

She sat down in one of the chairs in my room facing me as she sat nervously, saying, "I sincerely apologize, Demon. I was only teasing you, but I sometimes go a bit too far with it. I didn't mean to offend you at all."

I sighed as I looked at her and said, "Mint, don't get me wrong. I'm all for a good joke and I have nothing against teasing. That alone has pretty much helped to solidify you as my best friend on the ship. I don't get to joke around with many people like that. However, there are some lines that even I don't cross. I spent the last century working to get past all the feelings of anger and hatred that I had towards people for all the years I had to deal with people trying to kill me just because of what I am. All I ask is that you be more mindful in the future about touchy subjects like that, ok?"

Mint blushed lightly at the mention of her being my best friend as she said, "I…I understand completely. Do you really consider me your best friend on board? What about Milfie? I thought you had…"

I lifted a finger and said, "There's a difference between romantic affection and friendly affection. While that's not to say I don't care about you any less than I do her. What I have towards her is on a different scale. That also said, it's the first time in 400 years that I've felt something like that towards anyone, so I'm still kinda feeling my way through it, albeit rather clumsily. That said, not a word to anyone about this, and I'll forgive you, deal?"

She had a pouty look on her face as she said, "Aww, not even a little bit? That's no fun at all." I rolled my eyes as I said, "Alright, fine, but only a little bit, you're the only other person apart from Prince Shiva that knows about that, so I am placing a great deal of trust in you, fair?"

She flapped her ears once as she smiled and said, "Fair! I cannot begin to express how happy I am to know that you really do like Milfeulle like that. I had my suspicions, but to have confirmation…"

I could already see the gears in her head spinning as I groaned lightly. What have I unleashed?

"Ok, Mint, try not to lose your mind there. I'd hate to have to carry you back to medical again." She threw me a dirty look as I started to laugh before saying, "Well, now that I'm up. I suppose I'll have a walk around and see what all is going on around the ship. So, unless you want to stay for the show…"

She just sat there, staring at me with a really big smile before laughed, put my hands together and said, "I like you Mint, but not that much, get out. Love you, mean it, bye."

She giggled as she stood up and said, "And here I was thinking dog's had no shame."

And she's back.

After Mint left and I got dressed in my normal attire, I left my room and decided to go have a look in on Tact. While I'm sure he's doing a lot better now that he's not worried about getting jumped every five minutes by one thing or another. So, I made my way up to his office and walked in to find him sitting at his desk reading over a report as he looked up and said, "Ahh, Demon, how are you doing this evening?"

I sat in a chair in front of his desk as I said, "A few hiccups here and there, but nothing major. How are you doing now that you don't have to worry about getting ambushed every ten seconds?"

Tact laughed as he put the report down and said, "I can't begin to tell you how nice it is to be able to kick back and relax for a change. From what General Luft was telling me, once we arrive at Rhome, there's going to be a ball at Fargo to celebrate the safety and arrival of Prince Shiva."

I chuckled as I said, "Even in the middle of a war, people still find time to throw a party. Well, do you have a date to the ball then Tact?" He smiled as he said, "Well, to tell you the truth, I was thinking about asking Milfie to go with me." Oh no…well, so much for having romance. "What do you think, do I have a shot? I mean, between the two of us, of course."

I smirked a bit and said, "Absolutely, if you want to go with Milfeulle, you have your goal, just charge after it like you would one of your battle plans. I'm sure she'd be thrilled to go with you."

He laughed and said, "Really? I don't know about that. Though, I'd like to think that may be the case when the time comes. I've been spending a bit of time with her and, well…I'd like to think there's something there worth chasing after. Granted, I wanted to ask you since I've heard rumors around the ship, and then there was the whole Camus mess…"

I stopped him by lifting a hand and saying, "Tact, don't worry about me. If you want to take Milfeulle to the ball, go for it. You don't need my permission. Besides, you've known her longer than I have, so if anything, I think it's quite fitting that you want to take her out."

Just then, the comline on Tact's desk chirped for his attention. I looked at the clock on his desk and it read 2230. Who the hell was calling at this hour at night? Much to my surprise, Vanilla's voice came over the line. "Tact, I would like to discuss something with you."

He looked at me, to which I nodded as I kept quiet and let him say, "What is it?"

"May I have permission to access the Rhome system databank from my room?" Sheesh, I've heard of being dedicated to your work, but this is a bit excessive. Tact responded, "Rhome's databank? What are you trying to look up?" "The kafukafu tree hay fever." Somehow, I really doubt they'll have anything about a nearly extinct tree that only blossoms every one hundred years in their databanks.

As their conversation continued, I listened with curiosity. I haven't interacted much with Vanilla. Maybe I should spend a bit of time and get to know her as well. From what little I've gathered, she's a very hard worker and she places others above herself, but still, I can't help but wonder if she understands what too much work is. Tact decided to take a drink and a sandwich to Vanilla. I, on the other hand, decided to head my own way with my thoughts.

Tact wants to take Milfeulle to the ball as his date. Well, as attracted to her as I am, if Tact has the same affection for her as I do, it would probably be better if I stayed out of the way. Besides, once this coup is over, it's right back to being the royal guardian for me, so I wouldn't have the time or privilege of trying to maintain a relationship. Maybe it's better that he let me know his intentions. At least I can get that out of the way now as opposed to later.

Before I knew it, I had made my way to the whale room. Odds are Kuromie was already in bed for the night, so I could enjoy the beach under the moonlight alone. I decided to take advantage of having the room to myself and transformed into my dog demon form. Walking along the beach, I could feel the sand slightly part under the weight of my paws. Once I found a good spot by the beach with a good view of the moonlight, I laid down, crossed my paws and placed my head on top of them, letting the sounds of the tide fill my ears while the scent of sea salt filled my nose.

The next morning, I felt something poking me from the side, I opened my eyes and looked wearily over to my right to find Kuromie with the baby whale on his shoulder both staring at me. Kuromie was terrified, but the baby whale had a smile on his face. _'Hello Demon, it's not very often you come down here. Enjoying the beach?'_

' _Yes, thank you.'_ I looked down at Kuromie and said, "Relax Kuromie, you have nothing to worry about from me. I simply took to my demon form to enjoy the beach at night. I wasn't expecting to fall asleep here though."

He blinked for a moment before glancing at the whale, who probably was telling him it was me before he said, "It's not a problem. I was wondering where a giant dog came from without us noticing it before." I transformed back into my human form as he said, "Would you like to see the baby animals? Miss Vanilla is here feeding them if you'd like to help." She's here? Now that's interesting, there might be more to this girl than I originally thought.

"Sure, but quietly please. I'd like to see what she's up to." Kuromie nodded as he silently led me to where Vanilla was kneeling, feeding several baby space rabbits. I couldn't help but smile, seeing the curiosity and affection that she held in her eyes as she watched the baby rabbits eat happily. She perked up when she noticed Kuromie and I watching her.

"Ahh….Demon."

"Don't mind me, I didn't mean to interrupt you feeding the rabbits."

"No, it's alright."

"Do those space rabbits like carrots?" I had a feeling I already knew the answer, but still, I may as well try to bond with her.

"…Yes, they do."

I reached down and began to pet one, causing it to nuzzle up against my hand. Their fur was even softer than mine was. I felt a bit intimidated at the fact I got out furred by an animal a fraction of my size, causing me to chuckle to myself.

Kuromie chimed in, "Lately, we've had a bit too many to care for. Vanilla comes down to help me take care of them."

I looked at Vanilla and said, "Would you like to hold one?" I held out my hand, causing the rabbit to hop into it. "They're really warm and soft." I lifted it up and nuzzled its nose with mine as I smiled, causing it to nuzzle happily in my hand.

"N-no, it's enough just to look."

"Are you sure? I mean if they're this friendly towards a demon like me, they'd absolutely love…"

"…did you have business with me?"

So much for bonding, though, I figured now would be a good time to flex some of my authority. She was still pale from yesterday and that had me a bit worried.

"I do, actually."

"What is it?"

"You don't look too good. You seem unsteady."

"…no, I am fine."

"I don't agree. So, as guardian of the royal family, by extension of Prince Shiva, you are hereby ordered to take a day off from work. I will fill Tact in on the order later, but somehow, I think he'll have no objections."

"Even the hardest of workers need to rest. Why not stay with the space rabbits today…" I set the space rabbit back down with the rest of them before I looked back at her and finished, "…or do something else you enjoy?"

"There is work left to do. Re-examination of the crew still remains." Sheesh, there is no getting through to her, is there?

"Look, I understand that you're devoted to your work, and I have every respect for that. However, at the rate you're going, you're more likely to end up in one of those beds as opposed to next to it. Your body can only take so much punishment before it gives out."

"Do not worry. This much is of no concern. I am…still inexperienced. I must try harder so that I can become mature." That's what this is about? Oh boy…

"Vanilla, driving yourself into the ground isn't going to give you experience or make you more mature. Why is that so important to you anyway?"

"…Long ago, Sister…I made an oath to Sister Beryl."

"Sister Beryl?"

"…I must be going…"

She began to walk off as I called after her, however, she didn't stop. Next thing I saw, she began to fall forward. Using my demonic speed, I sprinted forward in time to catch her before she hit the ground. Sure enough, she collapsed from exhaustion. Kuromie ran over, asking if she was alright. I picked her up and told him to call the medical bay to stand by to receive a patient. From there, I carried her out and to the medical bay.

A few hours later, she finally began to wake up. I was sitting in a chair next to the bed as I said, "Morning Sleeping beauty. Enjoy your cat nap?"

"Demon? I…why…?" She was at a loss for words, probably doesn't remember what happened.

"You fainted. Like I was telling you before, your body will only take so much before it shuts itself down. You're lucky I was right there to catch you before you hit the ground."

"…" She was in complete disbelief at what happened. No…that look resembled more like disappointment. Was she upset with herself at collapsing?

"The angel wing all visited you while you were out. They were really worried about you."

"…This is inexcusable…because of my inexperience…"

"Would Sister Beryl have said that?" That caused her to stop and look at me in shock. "I read your record while you were passed out. She was your foster mother but, unfortunately passed away."

"Yes…"

"From what's in there, Sister Beryl seemed like an extremely nice person. She wouldn't accuse you of being inexperienced. That said, allow me to impart a bit of wisdom to you from an old dog."

She looked at me in surprise as I continued, "While it is admirable that you want to gain experience and be more mature, it's not one of those things that you can force. The number one lesson I teach to each of my charges in the royal family is Patience always pays its dues. It takes time to gain experience and that in combination with time is what allows you to mature. You can't rush it, no matter how hard you try. So, take the advice of an old dog and ease off the work load. Take the time to enjoy your youth like everyone else while you can. I know for a fact there isn't a single person on board that would object to that idea."

She bowed her head and said, "Forgive me…I never meant to be a nuisance to you."

I chuckled as I said, "You're not a nuisance. You're young and curious about life. It's one of the reasons everyone likes you. Now, with that said, you're an important person to everyone on board. The Angel Wing, Tact, Dr. Cera, even Prince Shiva and myself. Just because you don't have the experience that you want, or are as mature as you think you need to be, doesn't mean that you're not perfect. If that was the case, then the galaxy would have billions of perfect beings running around. My point to you is nobody is perfect. You can only enjoy what you have and thrive off of your strengths while nursing your weaknesses." 

"…I still don't quite understand…why…"

"Vanilla, it's not one of those things that you can…" I snapped my fingers as I continued, "understand the definition of instantly. That's where that whole time thing comes into play. So, just relax and live in the moment. Don't think about gaining experience, don't worry about becoming more mature, just enjoy what you have around you now. Alright?"

She looked at me for a moment before she smiled and said, "Ok….thank you Demon." I smiled and stood up as I said, "Now, my order stands; no work for the day for you. Get some rest and I'll see you later." I patted her head lightly before I left the medical bay and contacted Tact, informing him of my order and that Vanilla was awake. He had no arguments and said he'd go see her as well.

The next day, I was in the lounge with the Angel wing and Tact discussing what had happened to Vanilla. Well, I would call it less of a discussion and more of an interrogation really. The girls kept pelting out questions which either Tact or myself would answer. After the questions finally subsided, Ranpha was the first to say something as opposed to asking something. "You shouldn't have been inconsiderate. You should have told us the second she woke up."

Before I could open my mouth to reply, Mint came to my defense, "Now, now, you can't fault either of them. They took care of Vanilla as opposed to creating a crowd that would have distracted her from recovering." Milfeulle chimed in, "It's a relief to hear she's doing better, I couldn't sleep because I was so worried about her."

Ranpha then spoke up again, "But, she's kind of late. She's always the first of us up." Mint added, "Maybe she hasn't recovered enough and she's going to sleep through today too." Ranpha perked up at that. "That's serious! We need to check up on her right away!"

As I took a sip of my milk tea, I heard her footsteps down the corridor. That should put everyone at ease here within the next few seconds.

"Good Morning."

Everyone jumped at her suddenly speaking up before they all started pelting her with questions, asking if she was alright and the such. I merely smiled as I looked at her and said, "So, did what I told you sink in at all?"

Vanilla nodded as she said, "Yes, from now on I will not push myself too hard. May I join you all for a drink?"

I looked at her with a snarky look as I said, "No you may not join us for a drink." All of the girls were just staring at me, though Mint knew immediately, probably from reading my thoughts that I was joking with her. However, before anyone could say anything, Vanilla said, "You are teasing me, correct?"

I smiled and tapped my nose twice, then pointed at her, letting her know she guessed correctly as I pulled up a chair from the table behind me and allowed her to have a seat. Milfeulle smiled and said, "I made a tea chiffon cake just for you." Mint then chimed in, "I'll get the drinks. Is chamomile okay with you?"

Vanilla responded, "Yes, thank you very much. By the way…"

Mint looked at her curiously as she said, "Yes? What is it?"

Vanilla finished, "Do all of you…like me?"

I damn near choked on my drink when I heard her ask that. Apparently not all of what I said to her sank in last night. Each of the girls quickly began reassuring her that they all liked her. I decided to excuse myself from the discussion and threw my can away, walking towards the exit of the lounge before Vanilla called after me. "Demon…have I offended you?"

I smiled, looked back at her and said, "Absolutely not. This is one of those moments that I mentioned you should enjoy with your friends, the angel wing. My time has come and gone. I'll be around if you need me." With that I walked out of the lounge and made my way towards the bridge.

A few hours had passed since the reunion in the lounge and I was on the bridge with Tact and Lester discussing what the current plan was for our counter-offensive. As we drew closer to the enemy fleet, Almo called out, "Incoming communication from Admiral Sidmeier to all ships." I groaned as I said, "Do we really need to listen to that blow hard? He doesn't ever say anything useful, and his voice is like nails on a chalkboard." Tact looked at me with a look of empathy as he said, "Sorry, we don't have a choice. Open the channel Almo." She acknowledged and on came the deep, gruff yelling of Admiral Sidmeier. "Our time has finally come! In the name of his majesty King Gerard, we can repay the traitor who threw the empire into chaos. We have Prince Shiva at our sides. Justice will lead us to Eonia's inevitable defeat. The future of the empire is on our shoulders! Fight valiantly!"

I groaned as the channel closed, saying, "And I still hate him."

As the tactical map was pulled up, I looked at the situation and my jaw almost hit the floor. There was the Elsior and the Emblem frames, plus the allied fleet….which had only 3 ships.

"Are you serious? That's what we were given? Three cruisers against 30? I am so going to punch him square in the mouth if I see him again. Who does he think he's kidding? Damn it." Seeing how badly we were outnumbered had me pissed beyond belief. Odds are if we left them alone, they'd probably slow the enemy down, however they wouldn't survive the onslaught, even if the ships weren't automated.

"Tact, hail the allied cruisers and have them come around the asteroid and form a perimeter around us. Send the Lucky star and the Kung fu fighter to cover their flank. Trick master, Sharp shooter, and Harvester will engage the initial force that is ahead of us. Once Lucky star and Kung fu fighter have destroyed their targets, they'll come back around and rejoin the rest of the angel wing to engage all remaining ships until reinforcements arrive. Any objections?"

Tact blinked blankly for a minute as he said, "Actually, I had a similar plan. So, no, we're on the same page. Angel wing deploy."

"Roger!"

After our portion of the battle came to an end, word came that the enemy was in full retreat. All of us were surprised at this. As Tact and Lester conversed amongst themselves, I placed a hand under my chin. Eonia has superior numbers as well as a tactical advantage. Why would he pull his ships back? Granted, one of the lessons I taught him was if the enemy is stronger than your forces can handle, there is no shame in a tactical retreat to draw them into a better opportunity to level the playing field. Was that what he was doing? If that was the case, what was the trump card that he was saving to use? However, my thoughts were immediately broken when I heard that damned voice come over the comline.

"Wahahaha! Victory is ours! They're all fleeing in total panic! There's no need to fear Eonia! If this keeps up, the day we will regain our home is closer than we thought. Well done everybody! Now we can return to Rhome in triumph. Wahahaha!" I would pay real money if he would just shut up already.

Lester chimed in as he said, "Return in triumph, huh? That commander's pretty carefree." I snorted as I said, "Trust me, you don't know the half of it. Don't listen to a word of it. I taught Eonia, and this is not over. If anything, I'm worried that he might step it up with something new next time we see him."

Lester nodded as Tact said, "Well, a win is a win, but I don't feel too good about it. There's entirely something wrong with this whole situation and too many questions with hardly any answers."

Before I could respond, the angel wing walked onto the bridge, all praising Tact for his command abilities on the field. As I stood listening to them, I began to think again about what Eonia could be planning next when a communication came in from Luft. We were now heading to Rhome, more specifically to the satellite city Fargo, where the emergency military HQ was at. While it was unofficial, it sounded like we were finally going to have a break to relax. Well, they were anyway. Odds are I'll be back on full time royal guard duty since Prince Shiva is the only surviving member of the royal family and I'm willing to bet Eonia will be gunning even harder than before to try to kill or abduct Shiva.

"How will you be spending your vacation Demon?"

I was snapped out of my thoughts by Milfeulle. I looked at her with a slightly sad look as I said, "I don't quite get the same vacation perks you guys get. Once we arrive…" I looked at Tact briefly before I looked back at the angel wing and said, "It'll be back to full time royal guard duty for me. That is after all the main reason I'm here, after all."

All the girls looked a bit sad as Forte said, "We'll all request for Prince Shiva to give you a bit of down time. You've more than earned it, after all with all the close calls we've had lately."

I chuckled as I walked off the bridge and said, "Don't worry much about it. I'll have other chances to relax after this mess is over."

Making my way down to the audience chambers, I honestly began to think about what would happen with my friendship with these girls after the coup was over and Shiva was no longer on board. Odds are I'd probably lose touch with them and I'd fall back into the routine that I spent the last 120 years doing.

Upon arriving at the audience chambers, Shiva looked over at me and said, "Howard! I heard from Mayers that you sounded off with a sound strategy that he had also come up with that helped protect our allies."

I walked over to her and sat in a chair as I said, "The only reason I said anything was because that blowhard of an admiral gave us three cruisers to deal with 30 of Eonia's ships. They would have been about as useful as cannon fodder if we'd left them alone. So, I stepped in. Granted, Tact came up with the exact same plan that I did, so it was a bit…overzealous on my part."

Shiva scooted her chair closer as I said, "Howard, there is nothing wrong with voicing your opinion on a situation. You have had hundreds of years of experience under your belt in all kinds of battle situations. If anything, even if Tact gave me a solid battle plan, I would still ask for your thoughts." I smiled as I patted her on the shoulder and said, "I'm beginning to wonder which of us is the wiser one, ha ha ha."

We arrived in orbit around Rhome several hours later. I spent the time during our transit playing chess with Shiva and teaching her different strategies and how they can be applied on the battlefield. However, between all those hours playing chess, as well as getting a full night of sleep, I was beginning to wonder what was going on with our docking clearance. After receiving permission to act in her name, I made my way to the bridge, only to find the angel wing pestering Tact about the same thing I was. Without bothering to stop, I walked over to Almo and said, "Open a channel with Fargo dock control please."

Almo started to argue, "My lord, we've been instructed to…"

"Open. A. Channel."

My tone was sharp as she complied and opened the channel. "Elsior, this is Fargo dock control, we read you."

"Fargo Dock control, this is the Demon of the West, escorting Prince Shiva on board the Imperial Carrier Elsior, requesting status on our docking clearance, over."

"Elsior, copy all, standby please."

After about a minute of waiting, Luft came over. "Captain Tact Mayers, your orders are to dock the Elsior at 1200 standard time. Imperial delegates will greet Prince Shiva and he will be transported to an Imperial Villa inside Fargo under guarded escort. Afterwards, you are to join the 1400 emergency task force meeting."

I looked back at Tact as he said, "Tact Mayers acknowledges."

Luft continued, "I'm going on ahead to report on the progress of the battle. I'll see you later."

After Tact bid his farewell, I chimed in, "Have fun Luft, be sure to save some for me after we get done here." Luft chuckled as he bid me farewell and we began making preparations to dock. The girls were all excited about getting their vacations. I decided to head to the audience chambers and inform Prince Shiva of our plans.

Once I finished explaining what was planned for us after we docked, she looked at me and said, "You know, with everything that's happened, I don't believe you've had a proper vacation. Why don't you take some time to yourself and relax for a while with everyone else?"

I raised an eyebrow as I said, "A vacation? Your highness, the only reason I'm even on board is as your personal guardian. I'm perfectly fine, besides, I can relax later when this whole mess is cleaned up."

She chuckled as she said, "I'm sure you will, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't take advantage of every opportunity to relax when you can. You have more than earned it with everything that's happened over the last several weeks."

I looked at her with a sarcastic look as I asked, "Why do I get the feeling the angel wing has been down here recently?" She smiled and said, "Well…I'm pretty sure you already know the answer, but I did receive a visit from them, yes." Of course they did.

She placed a hand on my pauldron as she said, "Howard, even though you're a Demon and you're a lot stronger and faster, and more durable than humans are, even you need to rest. Nobody is indestructible. I'd much rather you have you rested and ready to go when the time comes as opposed to worn down with the possibility of faltering."

I rolled my eyes as I said, "If you want to insult me…"

"Douchebag."

"Thank you."

We both just burst out laughing before she looked at me and said, "Alright, since it's obviously going to take nothing less than this. Demon of the West, you are hereby ordered to take time for a vacation off while we are docked at Fargo."

I stopped laughing instantly as I realized what she said.

Well….shit.

 _ **Disclaimer reminder, I don't own the Galaxy Angel series or the character Inu-no-Taisho that my OC was styled after,**_

 _ **Howard: …**_

 _ **What's wrong now? I would have figured you'd be happy at this point now that things have settled down for a bit.**_

 _ **Howard: Really? A conflict of interest between Tact and me for Milfeulle's affection? That's messed up.**_

 _ **Oh…that. Well, I figured I'd mix things up a bit. Besides, you don't know how it's going to end.**_

 _ **Howard: If the last 400 years are any indication…**_

 _ **They're not. So, relax, and don't count yourself out yet. In the meantime, be sure to review and favorite the story and we'll see you in the next chapter.**_


	11. Chapter 11: Conflict of Interest

_**Chapter 11: Conflict of Interest**_

As I was escorting Prince Shiva towards the starboard side loading ramp to meet with the delegates, my head was in complete chaos. A vacation? On a planet I've never been to? While part of me liked the idea of checking out something new, the other part of me was worried that I'd get reactions similar to how things were back in my isolation. I'm almost positive that my reputation took the stars years before I did, but there was the small possibility that I could actually enjoy going out on a vacation.

When we arrived at the loading ramp, there were several delegates, all with armed guards waiting to take Prince Shiva to an Imperial villa. As we reached the doors, I looked at her and said, "You're absolutely sure that you don't want me to come with you? If anything happens, I won't be able to defend you and you'll have to rely on what I taught you to survive." She merely chuckled as she said, "You're not getting out of that vacation. Besides, I'll be fine. Now, go have some fun. I expect a full report of what you did when I see you after the ball."

I rolled my eyes as the delegates stepped forward and said, "Thank you my lord, we'll make sure his majesty is very well taken care of." I glared at him as I said, "You better. If I hear so much as a whisper that something happened to him, no amount of stars will stop me from tearing you apart." He gulped a bit as Prince Shiva walked to the rest of the entourage and said, "Well, shall we go? There is much to be done, I'm sure." Watching her board the shuttle with the rest of the delegates, I couldn't help but sigh. This was going to be the first time that she's gone anywhere without me nearby, so of course I was going to worry. However, I took a small amount of comfort in knowing that the lessons I taught her over the last few years will no doubt be of great benefit to her. In the meantime, now onto my task. A vacation….

I took a quick walk around the ship to see if I could find anyone from the angel wing, but unfortunately, they all had already gone to the station for their down time. Guess I shouldn't be surprised. Well, looks like I'm on my own. Let's see what there is to do.

I disembarked from the ship and made my way out of the security dock and into the nearby town and started looking at what each of the shops were advertising. However, no sooner did I pass the first window, did I start hearing gasps and whispers. Doors began closing and locking down the street, shops that were open suddenly closed. Restaurants moved their guests inside and locked their doors as I drew closer. Before I knew it, all I could see in front of me was an empty street devoid of people with closed up shops. Yeah, this 'vacation' was off to a winning start.

I sighed as I rounded the third street corner and was met with the exact same reaction as the previous two streets. I was seriously beginning to wonder why I even bothered coming out here. Oh right, I was ordered to by Shiva. She and I were going to have a very long talk after this. However, as I was making my way down the street…

"DEMON! Over here!"

The sound of MIlfeulle's voice rang out from a nearby restaurant. She was sitting with the rest of the angel wing at a table underneath a parasol. The waiter that was standing by them was staring at her in disbelief before looking at me. The color from her face drained as I walked in their direction. Crossing into the threshold of the outdoor tables, I said, "Hey girls. Funny to see you all out here. I would have figured you'd be running around checking out the shops. Well…" Looking behind me as I finished, "…the shops that didn't close when I came close to them." I pulled up a chair and sat between Milfeulle and Mint.

I looked up at the waitress, who was petrified and couldn't move, causing me to raise an eyebrow. Before any of the girls could say anything, I began to laugh, "Sweetheart, you can relax, I'm not going to eat you. I'm on a vacation just like them. So, with that said, I'll take a warm milk tea please." She stood confused for a moment before snapping out of her fear and wrote it down, saying, "Right, warm milk tea, right away my lord." As she hurried back inside, Ranpha looked at me and said, "What was that about?" I shook my head as I looked at her and replied, "It would appear that my reputation has preceded me here. Prince Shiva ordered me to take a vacation, against my will I might add." We all chuckled at my joke before I continued, "…ever since I left the dock and started walking through the streets, the reactions have been the same. People running inside, locking their doors, closing up their shops. In all honesty, it's reminding me entirely too much of my isolation. They did the exact same thing when I went into town back in those days too." Mint's expression dropped instantly as I mentioned that, probably because of the recent incident we just had. "I thought I finally managed to get on a more positive note since I began my guardianship of the royal family. It would appear that I was mistaken."

As the waitress came back out with my drink, she looked at me and said, "Ha…have you had the chance to review our menu, my lord?" I looked at the girls and said, "You girls know what you want?" They all nodded and gave their orders, allowing me a quick chance to review the menu before giving mine. Once the waitress ran back inside, people began looking out of the curtains of the restaurant at me to see what I was doing. I took a sip of my tea and continued talking with the angel wing.

After about half an hour, people began to inch their way back outside. I looked over at the first couple that was leaving the restaurant, causing them to jump back a bit before I said, "You can relax. I'm here to have a good time with my friends, as I'm sure you're here to relax too." I smiled as they began smile back and nodded before walking off. Granted, it was a speed walk, but I suppose it was better than a dead sprint. As more and more people left, the reactions became less and less apparent before people started talking with other people to spread the word that I wasn't as vicious as my reputation made me out to be.

While we were at lunch, Forte decided to take a shot in the dark. "Sooo, what's going on with you two? Been a little while since I've heard anything." I raised an eyebrow at her. I knew that she was referring to me at the least before Ranpha chimed in, "That's right, so, what is going on between our Milfie and you?" Milfeulle instantly turned a bright shade of red as I said, "Well, funny you mention that. Because Tact happened to ask me that exact same question before we pulled in." Everyone looked at me in surprise, including Milfeulle before I continued, "He basically asked for my permission to ask her to the ball here in a few days." Everyone looked at Milfeulle with a coy look as she blushed even redder.

Mint looked at her with one of her oh-so-innocent smiles as she said, "My, my, Milfie. You have not one but two men fighting for your affections? You shouldn't be so greedy and let the rest of us have a chance to have one."

I chuckled at that before Milfeulle responded, "That's not fair, it's not like I asked them to flirt with me. I mean, I like the attention and all, but still, to make it sound like I'm doing it on purpose…"

Ranpha chimed in from there. "As I recall, you had a similar thing happen to you back in flight school. All of the boys in the class were constantly trying to impress you and were fighting for the opportunity to take you out on a date. A few of them were actually pretty cute too. I'm surprised you didn't take at least one."

Forte began to laugh as she said, "Oi, Ranpha, you're sounding a bit envious over there. Feeling a bit neglected are we?"

Ranpha jumped a bit as she said, "What? No! None of them had what I was looking for in a guy for me to even remotely take an interest."

I rolled my eyes and said, "Yeah, because men with cast iron stomachs and boxing gloves are so common these days." Everyone laughed at my joke as Mint added, "There is also your taste in movies, Ranpha. I'm sure you'll find a man that is as much of a romantic at heart as you are. Of course, not many people can watch 'Your name is Cinderella' thirty times in a row and not get tired of it. So, at least you'll know him when you find him."

I damn near spit out my drink trying not to laugh as Ranpha shot me a dirty look. "What? It's an amazing movie. What girl wouldn't want to be like her and get her happily ever after with the prince of their dreams? And I did not watch it thirty times in a row, Mint."

Mint's ears flapped as she said, "Oh, my apologies. I was trying to give a general number so as not to sound impolite. 57 times is much more accurate and respectful to your character."

I couldn't help myself anymore. "By the stars, 57 times? Ranpha, here I thought you spent all your spare time in the gym beating up those poor punching bags. But now I completely get it. You're taking out your frustrations of a fruitless search on those bags. Though, if I may make a suggestion…"

"You may not! Besides, this coming from the dog that's competing with a ship commander for the chance to date Milfeulle. You have no room to talk."

I smiled as I said, "Competing? Who ever said I was competing. I flat out told Tact if he wants to ask her out to the ball, he doesn't need my permission." Everyone just stared at me as Milfeulle said, "So, then, you really don't like me like that…"

I turned my chair and brought my head next to hers in a hug as I whispered in her ear, "Milfeulle, that couldn't be any further from the truth. I care a very great deal for you. So much so that I would tear this galaxy asunder to keep you safe." Milfeulle was blushing brightly as I continued, "On that same note, however, if you truly care about someone, then you'll know when it's time to step out of the way. Tact has shown and expressed his interest in you, and out of respect for the both of you, I'm going to step aside and let him take that chance. So, please, don't take it as I don't like you like that. Give him a chance, you never know, he might be everything you could have ever asked for."

Milfeulle whispered back in my ear, "Alright. Thank you Demon. I will." As she returned the hug, I could hear several protests from the other girls, wanting to know what was going on.

"What are you two saying? I can't hear anything over here."

"What? No hug for us? That's incredibly selfish of you."

"Oi, leave the two lovebirds alone. Besides, I'm confident we'll find out soon enough anyway."

When I sat back in my chair, I took a sip of my drink as I said, "First of all…"

When we finished at the restaurant, we each went our separate ways to enjoy the rest of the day. During the course of lunch, everyone had finally taken the hint and come out of hiding, and all of the shops along with many restaurants opened back up. I decided to go with Mint for a bit since Milfeulle wanted to go find Tact back at the Elsior to talk to him about the ball.

As we walked past a few brand name clothing stores, Mint looked at me and said, "Have you ever considered wearing something….I don't know, less intimidating? I think people would receive you much better if they saw you in regular clothes as opposed to all that armor."

I looked down at my armor, which had been beaten to hell during the boarding incident and said, "Ehhh, while that does sound nice, I still have a job, and part of that job is practicality. I don't know very many clothing stores that can stop gunfire or deflect blades. Besides, carrying all of this around helps keep me in good shape. Just ask Ranpha."

She chuckled lightly as she said, "While I don't doubt the benefits of wearing all of that, I still think you'd look nice in regular clothes too. Plus, I'm sure Milfie would appreciate that change as well. It's a bit of a wrestling match to try to hug you, as I'm sure you've noticed." I rolled my eyes as she giggled at her joke before I said, "Alright, fine. I'll give it a tr-AAIIEEE!" Before I knew it, Mint had grabbed my hand and dragged me into the first clothing store she saw, completely catching me off guard.

We spent the better part of the next couple of hours having her put together different out fits for me to try on. Each more embarrassing than the last.

"No."

"Nope."

"Forget it."

"Not happening."

"Are you kidding me?"

"Ok, now I know you're screwing with me."

"I feel like I'm being choked here. Egh, egh!"

"Oh come on, I look like I work at male strip club with this."

"Great, nothing screams tourist like having a shirt that says I was here. Next thing I know, you're going to put me in a tropical shirt with shorts and sandals."

"Oh come on Rabbit, I wasn't ACTUALLY serious when I said that."

At the end of the fashion show, which was torture for the record, we ended up getting a dozen solid color button up shirts and blue and black jeans. That could have gone A LOT worse than it did. Mint, however, was laughing the whole time.

"That is why I don't wear normal clothes."

"Oh come now, you didn't look THAT bad in some of those outfits, especially…"

"Rabbit, I may as well have just taken the shirt off, put on a fedora and wore a pair of shades with a dollar in my mouth with how bad that was. I still think you more messing with me than actually helping me."

"Oh my, how your words wound me so. Here I was being so generous as to offer my expertise in fashion designs, and I even paid for your clothes. Which, by the way, you owe me for now. So, how will you repay me for such a generous act on my behalf?"

I glared at her and said, "How about I forget how you left me out of that resupply request that you went to everyone else for, as well as keeping my mouth shut about the hot spring kit and we'll call it even."

Her rabbit ears twitched as she said, "Your terms are acceptable. See? We can handle things in a civilized manner without the use of claws." I rolled my eyes as we walked back onto the security dock that the Elsior was docked at. When we boarded the ship, we parted ways and went to each of our rooms. I decided to pack the new clothes we bought into one of my bags since I was confident that Prince Shiva and I were going to remain here at the conclusion of the port visit.

Later that evening, we found out from Tact that after the ball, he was going to be relieved as the commanding officer of the Elsior and reassigned to another ship for the rest of the war. As it turns out, the Elsior and the Angel wing were being reassigned to guard Prince Shiva here on Fargo. Well, on one hand, looks like I won't be saying goodbye to them after all. On the other hand, though, Tact and Lester would be leaving. Not going to lie, even with the hiccups along the way, I actually was starting to like them.

Of course, the girls all had something to say, however, the order had apparently come from Admiral Sidmeier. My blood burned a bit at hearing he stuck his nose in on the matter. However, since I haven't had to deal with him yet, I was happy with that. I decided to excuse myself and take a walk around the ship to clear my head.

As I made my way through the hanger looking at the emblem frames, I noticed a child standing by one of them. How the hell did a child get on board? So, naturally, I did what anyone in my position would have done.

"Excuse me, but what are you doing here?"

The girl, who stood about three foot five inches tall and had long blonde hair and violet colored eyes. I don't what it was about this kid, but my blood ran cold just looking at her as she said, "What? You mean Noah?" I smiled and knelt down as I said, "Hi Noah, may I ask your last name?" She looked at me with a puzzled look and said, "Noah is Noah. That's all there is." I tried to see if I could pick up any other scents in the air to find her parents, but I couldn't find any as I continued, "Do you live here in Fargo? How come you aren't here with your parents?"

She perked up a bit and said, "I have an older brother. He's coming here now."

"That's good, we can get in touch with him and have him come and pick you up." That was when I caught myself staring at her left hand. Or rather, whatever was on her left hand. It resembled something akin to a tentacle, but had a more solid look to it. Part of me wanted to ask about it, but I restrained myself given the situation. "What about you? My brother said its proper manners to introduce yourself after giving someone your name."

I smirked and said, "You're correct, my apologies. I am the Demon of the West."

"The Demon of the West, the same man that helped defeat hundreds of men that tried to invade the Elsior." This had me a bit worried. I don't recall that being public knowledge.

"That's right, I'm surprised that you heard about that. Am I really that famous?"

"Absolutely, my brother has heard all about you, and Tact Mayers and the Angel Wing." Ok, this was really getting weird.

"Oh? Is your brother a soldier?"

"A soldier?"

"Someone who serves on board ships and fights with the military."

"Oh! Then yes, he commands lots of ships and has fought lots of battles."

She was staring intently at the Emblem frames as I said, "They're really cool, aren't they?"

"Yes they are. They're absolutely beautiful. I want them. Demon of the West, please give them to me."

I chuckled as I said, "As nice as they are, I'm afraid I can't do that."

"Why not?"

"Because we need them to protect Prince Shiva as well as the people here at Fargo."

"Boring. How about just one? I can make my own from there."

"Ahh, I gotcha, you want to make models of them."

"No, I can build the real thing and only I can do it!"

Before I could ask what she meant by that, she ran off. I tried chasing after her, but even with my demonic speed, she vanished. No trace of her scent, no sight of her, she was just gone. There was no way she was a ghost because she had a scent. Though, the odd thing about it was it smelled more….mechanical than organic. After I searched the hanger to no avail, I decided to continue my walk through the ship.

As I made my way back towards my room, I began to think about what I should wear to the ball. Of course, I would be on escort duty and I'll need my armor. The tails were a given, seeing as I'm a dog demon. Though, my white tunic and red under tunic were comfortable, I probably should have something made for the occasion. However, I had no clue where I could begin to look for a place that could do it. I do, however, know someone that does. Albeit, I probably will regret this later after earlier…

 ***Knock Knock Knock***

The door opened and Mint stood staring at me as she twitched her rabbit ears in surprise as she said, "Oh! Demon, what a surprise. What can I do for you?" I placed my hand behind my neck as I said, "Well, I got to thinking about having a new tunic and under tunic made for the ball to mix things up a bit and figured I'd ask if you knew anywhere I could go to look." Her eyes lit up as I finished my request. Somehow, I had a bad feeling about this…

 _ ***The night of the ball***_

As I entered into the ballroom at the Imperial Villa, I began to look for Prince Shiva. I knew she'd be here, and while I'm sure security here would do its job, I'd feel a lot better knowing I could keep an eye on her. I had taken Mint's advice on a tailor and had a custom outfit made. My under tunic was a bright shade of pink while my outer tunic was solid black with the signature blue patch with a strip on my left shoulder that was on my normal white tunic. My pants were also similar to my normal pants except they were black to match my outer tunic. My armor and tails remained the same, so, while I still had part of my usual look, the change in my clothing was still enough to signify that I took the setting into consideration for tonight.

As I wandered through the hall, I came across the Angel wing as they were talking to Tact. Each of the girls were wearing a dress that, in my opinion, reflected their personal styles very nicely. When I saw Milfeulle's dress, part of me internally gasped in shock. She had very good taste. When they saw me, Milfeulle called out to me, "Demon!" I walked over to them and said, "Well, I think it's safe to say you girls clean up very nicely. Definitely love the dresses, I'll have to remember tonight." Mint giggled as she said, "I see you took my advice. I certainly approve of your tunic style. Though, I'm not sure I would have gone with pink for the under tunic."

I smiled and said, "I picked pink so Milfeulle would know that I meant what I said to her." This caused Milfeulle to blush as Ranpha said, "Oi! That reminds me, you never actually told us what you said to her. Now you have to spill it, otherwise, we won't understand what you mean by that."

Before I could continue, a deep gruff voice boomed out from behind us, "Hey hey hey hey, Mayers! We've been waiting for the arrival of the hero of the empire!" I turned to look at him as Tact tried playing it off before he noticed me, "Ahhh, my lord. A pleasure to see that you also managed to make it to Fargo as well. I'm sure Prince Shiva will be pleased to see you." I raised an eyebrow as I looked at the angel wing before looking back at him and said, "Admiral, who do you think got his majesty off of Transbaal to begin with?"

Before he could respond, his aide came forward and interjected, "His majesty was swiftly taken from Transbaal right under the nose of Eonia's forces by the hero of the empire. From there he shook off the pursuit of Eonia and protected his majesty from several ambushes and a boarding invasion." I was beginning to get irritated as I glared at Tact. He immediate jumped and said, "Hold on a minute sir, I can't take credit for all of that…" Sidmeier cut him off as he said, "Oh ho ho, your modesty is admirable." Milfeulle chimed in there. "Um, Tact. Who are these people?"

As Tact introduced the angel wing to the admirals, Sidmeier wanted to get a picture with the angel wing. I rolled my eyes as his aide started to set up a camera and said, "Alright angel wing, line up with his excellency. Leave a spot for me." Milfeulle looked at Sidmeier and said, "We're not superheroes from a kids show, what pose should we strike?" The aide chimed in, "Don't worry about it then, please line up with his excellency." Mint decided to vent a bit of her frustration, "Unfortunately, we're not here to be your companions for display." I smirked a bit as Sidmeier began to get irritated at their lack of cooperation. After a few minutes of back and forth, a bugle sounded, signaling Prince Shiva's arrival.

As the admirals went to fall in line, I looked back at the angel wing as Tact apologized to them. I smiled as each of them made their way towards the lineup. Tact complimented Milfeulle on her dress as we made our way to the entrance. I decided to let the two have their moment as I made my way over to the lineup. I went straight to the end of the lineup and stood in the center facing the doors, waiting for her to arrive. A few people threw me dirty looks, however, they quickly averted their gaze when I glared at them. Within moments, Prince Shiva arrived and proceeded through the lineup, where she caught sight of me, smiled and stopped in front of me.

I bowed lightly as I said, "Your majesty, you're looking nice this evening. I trust the last few days have been better than the last few weeks have been?"

She chuckled as she walked next to me and replied, "Solved a few disputes and dealt with a bunch of bureaucrats. I honestly think you got the better deal out of the two of us. Speaking of which, I see you made good use of your vacation. Have to say, I love the new look. So, tell me, how was your vacation?" I sighed a bit before starting, "Well…."

After I finished telling her everything that happened, she couldn't stop smiling. Granted, she practically died laughing when I told her about the fashion show Mint put me through, so that was probably still making her smile. Regardless, she was pleased that I had a relatively good vacation. As she began snacking on some of the hors d'oeuvres, she told me to go and check on the angel wing to make sure they were enjoying themselves. I smiled and bowed lightly before I began to make my way through the ballroom.

No sooner did I make my way into the table area did Mint come rushing up to me. "Demon. I was looking for you." I raised an eyebrow as I replied, "Really? I just got finished with Prince Shiva and he asked me to check in with how you girls are doing." She looked at me with a happy look as she said, "Will you spend the next dance with me? You didn't come and get me, so I had to find you." I was a bit confused as I began, "What are you…?" She shushed me and whispered, "Shh…Please just do it. He's already coming over here." I couldn't help but smirk a bit, my how the tables have turned. This was the PERFECT opportunity to get payback for that fashion show bit from earlier.

With a snarky grin, I looked at her and thought. _'So, tell me, why should I lie to this gentleman to cover for you? After all, I still owe you a bit of payback for that fashion show you put me through.'_

She flapped her rabbit ears wildly as she whispered, "Please help me! I promise, I'll make it up to you." I merely grinned as I thought, _'I don't know…that doesn't sound very convincing.'_ She gave me the saddest puppy dog eye look that made it look like she was about to cry. Man, I swear, this girl is a master manipulator.

Within a couple of seconds a man in a dress uniform walked up and said, "Here's where you were, Miss Mint. I was looking for you. That was cruel of you to leave while I was getting a drink. Now, let's dance." She quickly put on a smile and said, "Please forgive me. Actually, I promised the next dance to this man. Right, Demon? Didn't I make that promise?"

' _Just so you know, I've got you in a corner. I hope you realize this.'_

Her eyebrow twitched lightly as I smirked and looked at him before saying, "That is right. She did promise me this dance. I trust that you don't have a problem with that?" He took a step back and said, "N-no, my lord, of course not. If you will excuse me…" He quickly rushed off as Mint sighed in relief.

"Thanks for stepping in. You saved me. Thank you very much. For a moment there, I was terrified that you were going to sell me out."

I chuckled as I said, "Now you owe me for that. Who was he anyway?"

She shrugged her shoulders, "Who knows. Some soldier from somewhere. He kept following me around and was giving me trouble."

I smirked as I said teasingly, "Awww, does he have a crush on you?"

She was not amused. "Please stop that. When somebody's thrown into a place like this, they lose their proper bearing."

I rolled my eyes as I said, "I've never had much of a problem with that. Granted, most people are usually terrified that I'm going to turn them into dinner if they look at me the wrong way, so that might be the reason why."

She giggled a bit as she said, "I should be going. Thank you again."

I bowed to her lightly as she curtsied to me and we went our separate ways. Continuing through the ballroom, I caught sight of Ranpha. However, she had several guys around her. Even though I was across the room and there was a lot of chatter, I could still hear some of what they were saying. Most of it was a mixture of requests for a dance with a couple of date requests. Yeah, I decided not to go over to her. I could clearly see she was enjoying herself and I didn't want to scare them away and upset her here.

As I walked across the ballroom, I saw Tact and Milfeulle talking. I figured Tact was probably making his move on her when her dress suddenly began to spew out smoke from the bottom. People began to gather to watch and the two of them were trying to smother whatever was burning the dress. I quickly ran over and pushed my way through the crowd as I said, "Tact, what happened?"

He was trying to smother the bottom of her dress with his mantle as he said, "I don't know. There's nothing on fire, but with this much smoke." Milfeulle was crying, "Nooo! I'm going to be burnt to death like that man in…" I rolled my eyes as I knelt down and took a whiff of the smoke, catching the smell of burnt plastic. Was she wearing something electronic?

I looked up at her and asked, "Milfeulle, are you wearing something electronic? The smoke stinks of burnt plastic."

"The space petticoat!"

I raised an eyebrow, confused by that as Tact said, "It must have short circuited, can't you turn it off."

She pressed a button on her side that immediately stopped the smoke. At least that disaster was averted, though, her dress was still partially scorched. As the onlookers were still staring, I stepped forward and said, "Back to your conversations, there's nothing to see here." With that, the crowd broke apart as Milfeulle said, "I'm sorry. It's my fault. It's all my fault."

I looked back at her as Tact asked, "Why would you say that?"

She continued, "Because strange things are always happening around me. My petticoat heated up and burnt my dress. But I wasn't burned by it…It's all my fault. I'm sorry. I caused you trouble again. I'm sorry…"

Tact looked at her sadly as she a dry laugh then said, "…It looks like I'm not going to be able to keep my promise and share the last dance with you. It'd be too embarrassing to dance with a girl wearing a burnt skirt and ruined sleeves."

Tact tried to say something, "…That's not…"

Milfeulle cut him off. "I'm sorry, Tact. Please ask somebody else. I'm going home."

She started to run off as Tact called after her. I groaned lightly and said to him quickly, "You owe me big time for this, Tact." I then raised my voice, "Hang on there, Milfeulle." She stopped and looked at me as she said, "Demon, I'm sorry but I can't…"

I cut her off as I said, "That's not entirely true. Give me two minutes and I can fix that." Tact smiled as I pulled her over to the side and knelt down looking at her dress.

"Uhh, Demon, hold on, what are you…?"

I took my claws and cut the lower part of her dress below her knees off and carefully flared the end out to give it a more exciting look. I then carefully cut her sleeves off from the collar frilling. Once I was finished, I walked her over to a mirror and said, "Voila, what do you think? The dress is a bit shorter, but I think it looks good."

She looked in the mirror in surprise as she said, "It really is…or rather, it almost looks like it was meant to be like this from the start." I chuckled as I said, "You're not the first girl I've come across to have their dress catch on fire. So, I've had a little bit of practice at this. Granted, there's a lot less ornamentation compared to the royal gowns, so it was easier to work with. But still…"

She jumped in joy as she said, "Oh Demon, thank you! Thank you so much."

I bowed lightly as I said, "Of course, now, go have that dance with Tact there, Tiger."

She smiled and ran over to Tact, just in time too. The orchestra began playing the final number, allowing the two of them to dance. I smiled and decided to make my way back up to Prince Shiva. As I walked up to the seat of honor, Shiva looked at me and said, "So, how are they?" I smiled and said, "From what I could see, they were enjoying themselves. I couldn't find Vanilla or Forte, but I did find the other three and Tact. There was a minor incident with Milfeulle, but nothing to be concerned about."

As the last number ended, I looked over at Shiva and said, "So, where to now your highness?" Before she could answer, the building shook violently with the sound of an explosion clearly being heard as all of the guests screamed. I immediately shot up and stood by Shiva as she said, "What was that?" I quickly said, "From the sound of it, it sounded like someone took a pot shot at the station. We need to get you out of here." There were several screams saying there were people outside. I looked at Shiva and she motioned me to kneel, to which I did. She hopped onto my back, wrapped her arms around my neck and, grabbing her legs, I leapt off of the balcony and down to the ballroom below, using my demonic speed and strength to leap over the crowd and glide through the air to the main door. When we exited the door, we were shocked by what we saw.

It was Eonia with several armed guards as he said, "Attention all you ladies and gentlemen. First of all, let me apologize for the chaos of intruding uninvited." I knelt down, allowing Shiva to drop off of my back. Once I stood back up, I took a step forward as Sidmeier pushed his way through the crowd with his aide and stopped behind me as he said, "What's going on here…..Eonia! Bastard, what are you doing here?" The aide quickly said, "Guards, what are you waiting for, arrest this man at once!" Sidmeier cut him off and said, "No, wait. I want to know why he has burst in here. Let's hear what you have to say." I rolled my eyes. Man, did I seriously want to punch him right now.

Eonia chuckled as he said, "Heheh…I cannot hate a sensible man. Then I'll accept your kind invitation. I bring good news to all of you this day. I will give you the chance of a lifetime." Odd, I couldn't pick up the scents of the guards or find his scent. How was that possible….unless…

Sidmeier responded, "Oh? Let's hear it then." I glared at him and said, "Will you shut the hell up? Do I have to punch you in the mouth again? Did you not learn your lesson from last time?" Shiva placed a hand on my arm, signaling me to calm down as I shifted my attention back to Eonia as he continued, "I'm glad that everyone's here. Now, if you bring me my cousin Shiva, everything will be fine."

Damn…

"Eonia, you know I can't allow that." I stepped forward and stared him down as he said, "Howard, I admire your loyalty. I truly do, which is why I cannot bring myself to hate you, despite how many times you've stepped into my affairs. It's not too late to join me. You were always my best friend and guardian. None have even come close to your ferocity and loyalty." I shook my head as I said, "How many times are we going to go over this?" He sighed as he said, "If you bring me Shiva within a minute, I'll spare everyone's lives."

Before I could respond, Shiva shouted from behind me, "I'm right here. So you're Eonia?" I quickly bent next to her and said, "Something's off here, Shiva, be ready to leap behind me." Eonia then said, "Indeed. I am Eonia. It's good to meet you, cousin. I didn't expect you to come out on your own." Shiva bravely cut him off and stated, "I am Shiva Transbaal! Due to certain reasons, I am the only heir to the Empire. You know those reasons best of all. Traitor Eonia! In the name of Transbaal, you will face justice!" Eonia simply looked at her and said, "Aren't we brave? You're going to punish me, but who's holding the guns? You still have a lot to learn." Shiva then said, "Care to try me?" That was my cue.

I stepped forward and cracked my knuckles as I said, "Apparently, you didn't learn from the last time you tried sending men with guns after me, so I believe a refresher is in order."

He calmly looked at us and said, "We met once before I was banished to the frontier…do you remember?" Why was he so calm? There was something seriously wrong here.

Shiva answered, "I don't know you! Did you come all this way just to say that?"

Eonia grinned as he said, "Then let's get down to business. Come with me Shiva."

She quickly retorted, "Do not say my name! A bastard traitor like you is not…"

Eonia cut her off, "You are being deceived by the men sitting next to you. They are the ones who have betrayed the Empire." While I have no love for Sidmeier or his aide, somehow, I found that a bit difficult to believe.

Shiva firmly said, "I won't believe anything you have to say!" This conversation was seriously going nowhere, and I really wanted to just kill his guards already.

Eonia replied, "You still have time, but this will be your last chance. Think about it Shiva!"

She glared at him before saying defiantly, "My mind will not change no matter how many times you ask. I will never surrender to you!" That's my girl.

Eonia scoffed before saying, "Is that so…Then you leave me no choice. I'm glad to have seen you again, Shiva."

Shiva yelled at him, "Silence!"

One of the guards lifted his weapon, and I immediately leapt in front of Shiva and threw out my energy whip from my claws. The whip flew through the guards and Eonia without so much as fazing them. I knew there was something wrong here.

"Holograms." My whip retracted back into my claws as Tact said, "He was never here to start with."

The station shook violently again as another explosion rang out. Shiva grabbed onto my tails as she asked, "Wh-what's that!?" Another explosion rang out as Tact yelled, "We're being bombarded!" I turned and looked at Sidmeier and said, "Order all ships to commence emergency deployment. Get as many of them out as you can now!" Sidmeier and his aide were in shock as I growled and said, "On my back your highness, we've got to go." She climbed onto my back as Lester came running up to warn Tact of what was going on. One of Shiva's attendants came running up behind him, asking if she was alright. Once Lester made mention of a shuttle he came with, that was our ticket out of here. We made a break for the shuttle. Using my demonic speed, I sprinted ahead of everyone and reached the shuttle long before they did. I fired up the shuttles engines as Shiva strapped herself in. Once everyone reached the shuttle, I took off and made a run for the Elsior.


	12. Chapter 12: Vengeful Wings

_**Chapter 12: Vengeful Wings**_

As we cleared the starboard side of the station and made our way towards the docking bays on the opposite side, I had to weave my way through the crossfire. Each turn being sharper than the last, it wasn't long before the angel wing began to complain about my ability to fly. I'm sorry, maybe they'd be happier as space dust, they would certainly have nothing to complain about at that point.

When we pulled around the southern half of the station and caught sight of the Elsior, an energy burst blew past the bow of the shuttle, narrowly missing us by what felt like inches. Within seconds of the blast subsiding, we received a hail. Part of me had a bad feeling about answering it, but I decided to anyway. Man, did I instantly regret that…

"Unidentified space craft, this is Camus O. Laphoraig of his majesties squadron, the Hell Hounds. You are hereby ordered to stand down and prepare to be boarded. Any resistance and we will give you a most beautiful grave."

By damnation, this guy again? I have the worst luck.

I rolled my eyes and said, "Well, if it isn't alphabet soup. Here for another ass kicking? Unfortunately, you caught me at a bit of a bad time, so why don't you be a good little pup and just scoot on out of the way and I'll be on my way."

Another energy blast flew by us; thankfully I was already in the middle of a maneuver, so I was able to avoid it as he said, "Oh, if it isn't the beast who is trying to steal my honey's heart away from me. This shall be a pleasure. Once I deliver you a lovely death, then my honey will see that she was blinded from true love and nothing will stand in our way." Part of me wanted to throw up with all that honey talk.

Milfeulle yelled from behind me, "I am not blinded by anything. Demon is a thousand times the man you'll ever be!" My eyebrows shot up in surprise as I looked back at her in shock, as did everyone else, making her blush as Camus replied, "Ahhh, so my honey is on that shuttle as well. Oh, this is too perfect of an opportunity to pass up on knocking out two birds with one…" I cut the com line before he could finish. I looked at Tact and said, "Tact, take the helm." He got up and took my spot at the helm as I walked towards the back of the shuttle.

Everyone was looking at me with a confused look as I said, "Get everyone back to the Elsior." I activated the emergency bulkhead, sealing off the aft section of the shuttle and isolating myself from everyone else. Milfeulle immediately shot out of her seat, followed shortly by Shiva as I began typing in several commands into the bulkhead mounted control panel by the rear door. Tact was telling Lester to override the bulkhead, but I locked it out so he couldn't mess with it. I then began to vent all of the oxygen out of the compartment. Time to see if that breathing ability was a fluke or not.

As the air grew thinner, I focused my power into my chest and within seconds, the difficulty I began to have breathing was gone. I opened an inter-shuttle com line and said, "Do me a favor, when we fly by the first fighter, do a sharp roll to port. I'll need a push. I'll keep them busy as long as I can, but you need to get everyone to the Elsior and get the Angel wing out to deal with those ships."

Milfeulle was banging on the bulkhead glass, yelling at me. I could barely hear her, but it definitely sounded like she said, "Don't do it." I figured I had a few seconds before my cue, so I walked back over to the bulkhead and placed my hand on the glass, to which she put hers against the glass in front of mine. I smiled at her and winked before I took a step back and opened the port side door, exposing the compartment to space. Since I vented all of the air, there was no burst of differential pressure, so I was able to look out of the shuttle and wait for my cue.

I didn't have to wait long.

As the first fight flew by the port side, the ship rolled hard, allowing me to push off and leap into the vacuum of space. Even though I could breathe just fine, I could still feel my heart pounding in my ears. Hearing nothing but dead silence as I flew through space, watching the fighter come right at me and the shuttle zip away towards the Elsior in the distance. Looking at it, I got a good view of the fighter. That looked more like an emblem frame than it did a fighter. Going to have to figure out where they got those from. I reached out my right hand and caught one of the dorsal fins of the frame as it flew by me. I leveled myself out and crawled along the hull using my claws until I came within view of the cockpit.

I had landed on Guiness Stout's frame.

As he turned, I looked around the outer hull and tried to see if I could find an access panel to the inner machinery of the frame. It didn't take me long to find it. I carefully crawled over to it, rammed my hand into it and ripped it out with my strength. No sooner did I do that, did I make eye contact with Guiness, who was surprised, to say the least, at what he was seeing.

That was when he began to start doing erratic maneuvers, probably trying to shake me off, though, since there was no gravity in space, and my claws were firmly embedded into his hull, I wasn't going anywhere. I began ripping out parts from the access panel with the one free hand I had, while clinging to his hull with the other. Let me tell you, if I was ever happy to have my demonic strength, now was that moment.

However, I didn't have long to do the damage, another frame came at us from the port bow and began firing it's machine guns into the hull where I was at. Several of the rounds pierced my armor and went right through me, causing me to stop and erect a barrier with my free hand to prevent further damage. The frame flew by and began to circle around. So, on top of trying to deal with this guy, now I'm bleeding into space.

So, I reached in and pulled out several more parts as quickly as I could, causing his engines to start fluctuating before the frame completed its turn and came in for another pass. So, I stood up as the frame closed to commence another strafing run on me and waited until it was close enough for me to push off of Guiness' frame and onto the new frame. Upon hitting the cockpit and digging into the hull of the frame, I caught sight of my attacker.

Camus.

Oh, how I grinned as I watched the color drain from his face. Then he proceeded to do erratic turns, trying to shake me off. I crawled my way up his frame and found another access panel closer to his engines. Since I was bleeding, may as well make use of my blood ability. I ripped the panel off with my free hand, and then dipped my claws into one of the wounds in my chest, soaking my claws in blood. I raised them behind me and swiped in front of me, sending several red blades flying into the compartment and shearing parts left and right. I did this three more times before I caught sight of another frame turning towards us.

Then two.

Then three.

Looks like I had their attention. Good, better me than the angel wing. As Camus leveled himself out, probably to give them a good line of fire, I eased my way back towards the rear of the fighter behind the port fin as I raised my claws up, then swiped in front of me, sending more blood blades flying towards them. They broke formation, but my blades hand caught Guiness' frame (I only knew that because he was trailing smoke from the damage I did earlier). His frame began to spark from the damage he sustained, forcing him to break off.

I looked over and saw that two frames had banked right and one banked left. Looks like they were going for a pincer tactic. Ok, I can work with that. I pulled my way forward to the front of the fin I was holding onto and held up my right hand, causing my first two claws to glow. As I waited until they were within their weapons range, I began to feel the pressure being put onto my chest. Using my power to breath, combined with using my blood ability and bleeding from several very large wounds was beginning to take its toll. Normally, my blood would have clotted by now, but I think the vacuum of space was hindering that part of my abilities.

As soon as one of the frames on the port side began firing at me, I swung my hand around and sent my energy whip flying, nailing his bow and knocking him off course, as well as making him lose control of his frame. I turned and whipped it around towards the other frame on the starboard side, and combined with the momentum from hitting the first frame, I scored another direct hit. As the second frame spun off struggling for control, I began to whip my arm around, but Camus got wise and began rolling. He caught me off balance, forcing me to retract my whip and hang on to the dorsal fin to keep from flying off.

He banked a hard left and started weaving around erratically again as I held on. At this point, I was really beginning to feel lightheaded. Whether from the blood loss, the rolling, or the combination therein, I don't know. But, what I did know was I couldn't keep this up much longer. As he straightened out, I saw the frames line up again to commence a strafing run. I was going to be in really big trouble if this didn't end soon. No sooner did I raise my hand to send another wave of blood blades at them, did a hail of gunfire come flying in from their starboard side, forcing them to scatter. I looked over and I couldn't help but smile at the sight.

The Angel wing came zipping past and began firing at them.

As Camus began to turn again, I saw the Lucky Star line up behind him and began shooting at him. This would have been fine….if it wasn't for the fact I was in the line of fire. I quickly dropped down and slowly clawed my way towards the access panel I was messing with earlier and grabbed onto the edge of it. Swiping my claws in front of me, I sent out five sets of blood blades into the exposed machinery and wiring. Once the fifth set cut its way through the fin, the ship started to short circuit and several systems blew out from all over the ship. That was my cue to get out of there. I turned to find the Lucky Star had actually caught up to Camus and was keeping right on his tail.

That was my ride out of here.

I stood up and made a hard push off, but Camus banked a hard left, and knocked me off balance with his port dorsal fin. Leaving me spinning helplessly in the vacuum of space. Within seconds, however, I saw the Lucky Star close on me and I grabbed onto the main cannon. Pulling myself up and laying on the cannon, I looked over into the cockpit to see Milfeulle smiling. I looked back and saw the frame Camus was flying continue to burn as he struggled to retreat. The other frames the hell hounds were flying fell into formation and they all retreated.

The Lucky Star turned gently to starboard and began making its way back towards the Elsior at a steady speed. I slowly crawled my way down the barrel of the main cannon until I came to the cockpit, where I placed my bloody hand on the glass and looked at Milfeulle. She had a look of worry as she saw the blood, but I couldn't stop smiling. This angel had pulled the demon from the jaws of hell. I could see her lips moving as she was talking to someone, probably the angel wing and Tact as we made our way back to the Elsior. My vision was beginning to fade in and out and it became difficult to breathe. I shook my head and redoubled my focus on my chest, buying me another minute or so. Thankfully, we made it to the Elsior and the emblem frames were docked quickly. Once the hanger bay doors were sealed, I dropped my focus and allowed fresh air to flow into my chest.

Within less than a minute of docking, I could feel several pairs of hands lifting me up off of the Lucky Star and onto a stretcher. I couldn't quite make out who was around me, but I felt a warm sensation flow through my body and within seconds my vision cleared up and I could see the Angel wing and some of the hanger crew hovering above me. I lifted my head a bit to see Vanilla treating my wounds with her nano-machines. After what felt like fifteen to twenty seconds, the glow from the nano-machines faded and my wounds were completely sealed.

As I sat up, I looked down and saw that my armor was completely ruined. There were so many holes in the breastplate and pauldrons; there was no point in wearing it all at this point. My clothes, however, had been mended, so at least I had a layer of clothing as opposed to just exposed skin. I sighed a bit before saying, "Thanks Vanilla, I owe you one." I cracked my neck before I was knocked down by Milfeulle, who was hugging me really tightly. Granted I could still breathe, but I can't say I've ever been hugged like this before. The next thing I hear is her crying. Why was she crying? Then came the rest of the angel wing.

"That was incredibly reckless, idiot! What were you thinking?"

"I have to agree with Ranpha, that was reckless, and since when can you breathe in space?"

"While I'm sure everyone is grateful for your daring stunt, you had us all extremely worried when you jumped out of the shuttle."

I chuckled as I looked at them all, while wrapping an arm around Milfeulle, saying, "What can I say? It seemed like a good idea at the time. Besides, it worked, didn't it?"

Milfeulle sat up and looked at me with tear soaked eyes before she said, "You're so mean…" I looked at her with a snarky look before I said, "Hold on, how am I mean? I just leapt out of a perfectly good shuttle into space to save all of you." Before she could answer that, Almo came over the loudspeaker. "Attention, Angel Wing, redeploy! Enemy ships still detected in the area!" Everyone helped the both of us up and within a second of getting to my feet, Ranpha punched me square through one of the gaping holes in my armor and into my chest. I groaned lightly since that area was still sensitive before she said, "That was for scaring us half to death, ya dumb dog." I couldn't help but chuckle as I said, "Fair enough." With that, I made my way to the bridge as quick as I could move, which was not very given how exhausted I was. The girls got back into their frames and launched before I reached the door to the hanger.

As I stepped onto the bridge, Tact and Lester were both relieved to see me alive and well. Prince Shiva was also on the bridge and was smiling as she looked at me. She walked over to me, to which I bowed my head lightly. After everyone on the bridge expressed their happiness at my survival, I asked, "So, how many ships got out?"

Tact put his hands on his ships and said, "About a dozen. We managed to force them back, but I don't get why they pulled back. They had numbers on their side."

Lester crossed his arms as he said, "Maybe they gave up when they didn't get the civilian ships? No, that doesn't make sense either." I raised an eyebrow as I began to think about it. Then Almo spoke up, "Commander, communication from the enemy fighters…" Man, these guys just don't know when to quit do they?

Tact stepped forward and said, "Open a channel."

Camus came on. "Hmph…it seems like our time limit is up. We must be going now." Time limit? What the hell did he mean by that? Of course, Tact asked him that question, which I already knew he wouldn't answer. What he said next got under my skin.

"Ahh…My honey and I, fate must be cruel once more and tear our love apart…"

Tact cut him off, "Knock it off. Stay in the real world for once." Somehow, I doubt he could even function as a person if he did. However, that didn't stop him from continuing.

"Milfie, I captured your beautiful fighting with my own eyes. I look forward to seeing you again…Adieu." What Milfeulle said in response caught me completely off guard.

"Are you still saying things like that? I wouldn't care if you died. Seriously."

My eyebrows shot up in shock at that. I looked at the monitor that had her face as I said, "What in the…? Milfeulle! That was dark. Like, I thought I was bad…damn." I shook my head as Guiness chimed in "This was a good fight, my rival! I won't forget that hot moment when we exchanged blows!" I rolled my eyes as I cut in again, "Considering the fact that you've probably never seen a demon fight in space and whip your sorry tail despite having superior numbers and firepower that I can believe. Go get some skills before you come back, scrub."

All of the girls laughed at my rebuttal, which caused Guiness to stammer for a moment before the other fighters started with their verbal jabs at the angels. I decided to sit it out for the remainder of the fight as I got to thinking about what Camus meant by a time limit. Were reinforcements on their way and not far off? If that was the case, then why would they fall back altogether, shouldn't they just regroup with their allies?

As the hell hounds closed the channel, Tact asked for a situation report on Fargo. Apparently, only the ports were attacked, so no ships could get in or out, but the rest of the damage was negligible. Shiva decided to speak up at that point. "What were they trying to do? It's like they're just trying to trap the people of Fargo in the city." So, if they were doing that, then that tells me that they must be planning something with the city.

Lester spoke up, "I'm worried about what those guys were saying as they left. If they stayed, we could have lost." Which rotates us back to what I was asking, which is, why the hell did they fall back? As Tact had finished answering Lester, I got my answer from Coco.

"Powerful energy signature approaching us from the front!"

Tact and Lester looked at her and both shouted, "What?" I stepped forward to the front of the commander's seat to get a look at what she was talking about. In the distance, there was a bright red glow that was growing brighter. My blood ran cold as I immediately shot my hand forward and erected a barrier around the Elsior with my power. I barely got it up in time too.

A powerful energy beam shot past our starboard side, grazing the barrier I erected, and clipped the side of the Fargo station before blowing over a third of the planet of Rhome apart. As the beam grazed the barrier, I felt a nasty burning sensation as the energy was transferred from the barrier to my arm. Everything that hit the barrier up until now just felt like being pushed by children. This felt like a red hot poker being stabbed into my arm. I roared out in pain as I struggled to keep the barrier up, causing everyone to look at me. When the beam subsided, the energy shot back into my arm and I wheeled around and dropped onto one knee holding my arm.

As Shiva, Tact, and Lester ran over to me, I held up my arm and saw part of the sleeve smoldering and my arm from the middle of my forearm down covered in a mixture of first and second degree burns that were smoking. The smell of seared flesh caused everyone to flinch; myself included as I stood up and groaned in pain. Shiva looked at me and said, "Howard, we need to get you to the medical bay!" I shook my head as I said, "I'll be fine, Coco, report, what the hell was that?"

She stammered for a moment before she said, "I…I don't know. Radar and the display are severely impaired from the attack." I glanced at my smoking arm, which still hurt like hell, before Almo said, "I think…that huge black sphere attacked Rhome…and it grazed Fargo too…" My eyes shot up as terror began to run through my body. As Coco and Almo continued to converse and pass information to Lester and Tact, I took a couple of steps over to the railing by the command chair and sat on it, holding my shoulder and focusing my breathing.

' _I will do what I can to numb the pain. See if the angel wing is alright.'_

I could faintly hear my subconscious over the sound of my ears pounding. Within a few seconds, the pain dulled a bit. Not a lot, but enough that I didn't need to hold my shoulder anymore. I stood back up as Almo said, "Communications are back online!" Before I could ask if the girls were alright, Milfeulle spoke up.

"Tact! Fargo! The entire city is on fire!"

Tact replied, "What? Our visuals aren't back online yet. Please give us the situation!" I'm not sure I really wanted to hear what she had to say for once.

"Fargo's outer barrier broke…and then fire ran through it!"

Ranpha quietly added, "Hey…what about what happened to the planet? What happened to Rhome…?" I began to shake my head as the picture just got clearer and clearer. Vanilla spoke up next.

"The port's airlock has opened. There's a ship there…" Were they able to fix it to enable people to escape? Almost as if she heard me, Mint said, "No…it's not leaving. It's being swept away! The airlock is broken." Oh no…

As they continued, I had to shake my head. I never enjoyed hearing about innocents dying horrible deaths like that. I knew Eonia. I raised him, taught him, bonded with him. But this…this was beyond the man that I knew. The level of destruction…the death…the chaos…all caused by him. Was he truly that far gone? The man that I raised like a son has caused even more damage than before. I could hear Tact cursing him for this act, and I honestly couldn't blame him. I don't know what had happened to him, but this pushed any doubt that I had left in my mind.

Eonia was truly beyond redemption.

As the radar and monitor came back online, we got a good look at what caused the damage as Eonia's fleet began pouring out of it. Looking at it from first glance, it was round and black with a red core that glowed like a star. Upon closer inspection, however, it bore several similarities to the white moon, which had me wondering was there another version of it that Eonia happened to find? Surprisingly, it was Shiva that answered that question.

"…That is…That is…Maybe…" I looked at her as both Tact and Lester looked at her, asking her to finish. "Could that be…The Black Moon?" Huh, so my theory was a clean bullseye. Great. So, what the hell was it exactly? I spoke up and said, "The Black Moon? Your majesty, if you know something about that, we would greatly appreciate your insight." I was fighting to maintain my composure with how much pain I was in as she continued, "I don't know the details. However, I've heard about it from Lady Shatoyarn."

Shatoyarn….where have I heard that name before…

"The Black Moon is Lost Technology for bringing harm. An automated machine for mass production…she told me." Seriously? Like we needed more problems? Though, that did explain how Eonia amassed such a large fleet in a short amount of time. Lester spoke up after she finished, "The Black Moon, huh? I'm not sure I can believe in something that far-fetched…" And with that, I lost it…

"You can't believe? Take a good solid look at the fleet that's in front of us, not to mention the giant blasted hole in the planet behind us and tell me again that you don't believe in that. If you seriously can't believe in that, then you can sure as hell believe in this…" Holding up my burnt arm, he took a step back as Shiva said, "Howard, please, take a deep breath. It's not his fault that he doesn't know."

As everyone began to let the realization of what just happened to Rhome and Fargo sink in, Almo said, "We're being hailed! It's from Fargo!" I looked at Tact with a raised eyebrow as he said, "Open a channel." I couldn't help but be curious as to who was able to hail us.

"This is the Fargo's 2nd port's control room. Who is commanding the Elsior and the Angel Wing?" Luft, you stubborn son of a bitch. Looks like I did a better job training him than I thought as Tact replied, "General Luft! It's me, Tact!" Luft was surprised as he said, "Oh, Tact! So you made it on board the Elsior during the chaos." Tact asked what was going on over there, just to find out the ports were damaged and central port control was unresponsive. Surprisingly, most of the ships docked there were relatively okay, the city district, however, was completely obliterated. My stomach twisted at the sound of that. All those people who had nothing to do with this damn war.

Luft continued, "Allied fleets are coming from the nearby planets now. That aside Tact, do you know where Prince Shiva is?" I stepped forward and said, "Seriously Luft, after all these years, you really still have doubts about me?" Shiva took a step forward as she said, "Worry not. I am right here." Luft jumped as he said, "What!? Thank the stars your safe! My apologies, Demon. I should have known better since he is in your care." I added, "I took him with Tact and the Angel wing as we escaped from the ball." Luft began praising us over the com before he noticed my arm. His expression immediately dropped from joy to concern as he asked, "Demon, your arm…" I waved him off saying, "I'm fine.

Several alarms went off as Coco shouted, "Commander! Eonia's fleet has begun to move!" Huh, took them long enough. Nice of them to let us have this whole conversation before coming to finish us off. As Tact asked how many, I could clearly see there were way too many to even begin to count before she added there was a new type mixed in the lot. Just had to have that cherry on top to nicely finish that off, didn't we?

Lester looked at Tact and said, "We can't allow them near Fargo. What now, Tact?" Was that question even necessary? We fight. If I had to go out there again and start ripping ships apart, I'll do it until my arms fall off. Tact was in agreement with me. Luft, however, had a different idea. "You can't do that! Hurry up and escape!" Now, while on one hand, I can understand his reasoning behind saying that, on the other, more crispy hand, I wanted to hit him for even considering saying that. Tact, however took on that job for me as he started to argue with Luft.

Before long, Shiva had had enough and said, "Luft! Are you telling me to abandon the people of Fargo!?" I glared at Luft as he replied, "That's not what I'm saying. It may be difficult, but we'll find a way to evacuate…" Shiva wasn't having it though. "You're telling us to abandon them! Mayers, fight to protect and support Fargo! That is an order!" Now that's more like it. Luft began to protest, but before he could finish, I cut him off and said, "Shut up, we're rescuing you!" He sighed and said, "Don't do anything above and beyond the call of duty, Tact!"

With that, the comline closed and I said, "Give me a minute to get my arm patched up, and I'll hitch a ride over to Fargo and start working on getting those ships out of there."

Shiva looked at me and said, "No! You're going to the medical bay and having your arm properly fixed. You've done enough for now, Howard. That's an order." I shot her a dirty look as I said, "Seriously? You really expect me to sit back and do NOTHING while we're outnumbered and outgunned, on top of the fact that Fargo is still burning?" Shiva's expression dropped as she said, "Howard, please. I've already lost enough people because of my cousin. I don't want to lose you too. Please, you'll get your chance to help, but for now, go get your arm fixed. Besides, you'll want to be at your peak for what I have in mind for you."

Before I could say anything, however, a bright blinding light erupted from the black moon, and all of the systems on the bridge went dead. As Almo continued her report, all of the systems hooked into the Chrono String engines were the ones most affected. All the secondary systems that had separate power supplies were alright, for the most part, but that probably wouldn't last long. Then the angel wing established a com link. Milfeulle was the first on the line.

"Tact! The Emblem Frames suddenly stopped moving! What happened!?"

Next was Ranpha. "The engine stalled suddenly! I'm trying to restart it, but it won't do anything!"

As Tact was wondering what was going on, Vanilla spoke up, "…The Elsior cannot move either?"

Mint quickly added, "It's not just us. All of our allied ships have stopped moving too!"

Forte then came on. "What's going on!? In any case, it doesn't look like it's a random breakdown."

I looked around at everyone as I began thinking. From the effects, it reminds me of an electromagnetic pulse. However, the only things affected were Chrono String Engines. Could it have been a modified variant of an EMP designed for Chrono String engines? Before I could go further in my thoughts, the alarms went off as Coco shouted, "The attack satellites have begun to move along with the automated fleet! They're coming this way!" So, whatever that pulse was didn't affect their ships. So much for that theory. As Tact began barking orders for the angel wing to fall back, I couldn't help but groan. Did you not just hear them say their engines were dead? Then Coco shouted again, "Incoming enemy fire!"

I ran forward and erected a barrier around the Elsior with my good arm. As the enemy fire began to make contact with the barrier, I could feel the pushing growing more and more difficult to hold back. The pain in my arm was making it extremely difficult to keep my focus. It wasn't long before I couldn't hold it any longer and the barrier dropped, causing several enemy missiles to hit the hull, knocking everyone off balance and causing several hull breaches throughout the ship. As I was struggling to catch my breath and get control over the pain I was feeling, the damage reports kept getting worse and worse. Tact called over to the angel wing to ask them if they were alright.

Thankfully, they were all alright. At least for the moment. We, however, were sitting ducks. Then came the next volley. As they hit, an explosion set the elevator hall on fire. I was picking myself off the floor as I regained my footing. Lester and Tact began to discuss about ordering abandon ship, as well as getting Prince Shiva off the ship. As the angel wing were beginning to voice their despair, I looked at Tact as he said, "Is there really nothing left we can do?" I walked over to him and slapped him, causing everyone to gasp as I said, "Don't you dare even begin to think about giving up! We clawed our way through the jaws of hell to get this far, and I will be damned if I let you consider giving up now! SO GET A HOLD OF YOURSELVES! ALL OF YOU!" The rage I was feeling at the idea of giving up just poured through my veins. But before I could say anything else, a blinding light erupted. At first, I thought it was another blast from the black moon, until Tact said, "The emblem frames…have wings?" I looked at the tactical display, and, sure enough, they had wings. I was in complete shock.

"Wings? What in the hell…where did those come from?"

Then Lester chimed in, "It's not just the Emblem Frames! The Elsior is behaving strangely too!" The rage I was feeling at this point was being oddly soothed, almost like a mother consoling a child. Next thing I notice was the pain in my arm had completely vanished. I looked down and my arm had been fully healed. As Coco and Almo were continuing to feed information on what was going on with the Elsior, I looked out at the Emblem frames. I could practically feel their strength surging through space from here. Whether it was due to what was causing those wings, my demonic power, or the combination of the two, I don't know, but I felt like I could take on the galaxy.

Almo then called out, "All systems have been restored!" Lester replied, "They're back!? Ah, geez, I don't get this!" I looked at my arm and said, "Who cares!? We'll figure this out later. In the meantime, there's an enemy fleet in front of us, and I don't know about you, but I'm a bit pissed from being used as target practice for these ships."

The Angel wing then called us to let us know the frames had been fully restored as well. As if it wasn't already obvious from the new wings they were sporting. I looked at Tact and said, "Are you going to give the order, or should I?" Tact smiled and said, "Angel wing, begin the counterattack!" With that, they shot off and tore through the enemy with renewed vigor.

The counterattack went swiftly and it was gorgeous to watch the girls tear through the ships. I don't know where those wings came from, but I could get used to watching them in action. It added a very nice flair to the battle, like watching vengeful angels striking back at those who stuck at them. However, it didn't last long. As we prepared to launch an attack on the black moon, the angel wings disappeared. The reports from Coco also indicated a drop in output lower than normal. That had me thinking, from what it sounded like, assuming the frames were people in this case, they had a burst of adrenaline and once the adrenaline wore off, the strain caught up with them. However, given that the frames were lost technology, that wasn't quite possible. Though, maybe the halo system had that reaction from their pilots and transferred the effects to the frame. I could speculate about it for hours, but, that would have to wait as the angel wing was recalled back to the Elsior.


	13. Chapter 13: A New Course

_**Chapter 13: A New Course**_

We were ordered to rendezvous with the surviving fleet on the opposite side of Rhome once we had re-established contact with Luft on Fargo. As we rounded the planet and approached the allied fleet, it was disheartening to see the damage as it spread further. There wasn't a single undamaged ship. I thought we took a beating, but I was amazed that some of these ships were still combat capable with the amount of holes in them. I hated seeing this. Not only because of the fact that I knew how much death and destruction was caused, but because there wasn't anything I could do to help. All the power I could ever want, and I was still as helpless as the rest of these people.

The angel wing came onto the bridge and passed their report on what they saw. Then the attention shifted to the wings on the emblem frames, as well as what happened to the Elsior. Everyone, myself included, were stumped about it. Then Tact looked at me and said, "Demon, is it possible that you caused it?" I was damn near ready to slap him for that question.

I sighed before I said, "Ok, I'll bite, why are you even asking that question? I'm just as confused by it as you all are."

He continued, "Well, lately, you've been gaining new abilities that you said you never had before. So, it got me thinking, what if this was another one? I mean, you were pretty mad just before it happened, and it happened as you finished yelling at everyone. So…" I just shook my head.

"No, Tact, that wasn't me. I can do a lot of things, but that was something else. What I do know is that whatever caused it, also fixed my arm." Holding up my now perfectly unscathed arm, everyone looked at me in surprise. Even the sleeve around it had been mended too. Not sure if it was my power or the Elsior, but I'm almost positive that it wasn't me. Milfeulle had a look of confusion on her face as she asked, "What happened with your arm? It looks fine to me." I explained to her what had happened since she left. From the look of shock on her face, you would have sworn I'd kicked her puppy or something.

After I finished, Almo spoke up, "Communication from General Luft." Tact ordered the channel open as we all turned to face the tactical display, where a separate window popped up and Luft's face came on. "Thanks for the hard work, Tact. Is the Angel Wing with you?"

Tact responded, "Yes, everybody's here and safe for now. And…how's the situation over there?"

Luft's expression dropped as he said, "The situation, eh…Simply put, I'm now the acting commander of the entire fleet." Tact was a bit confused by that as he said, "Acting…commander? What happened to Admiral Sidmeier?" I'll bet I know that answer.

Luft replied, "While he was escaping Fargo, he was attacked by Eonia's forces…" Oh, ok, maybe I didn't know the answer. I figured part of the station collapsed on him. Though, I suppose it still served him right for being so arrogant. Tact simply said, "I see…" Luft continued, "What's more, we haven't heard from any of the people above me. Unfortunately, I'm in charge now." Then I spoke up.

"Good, that lard bucket wasn't much use in the field to begin with anyway. At least now I know I won't get sent up the river without a paddle twice with you in charge Luft. You took my lessons to heart quite well during the wars back then, and they'll be extremely useful to you now."

Shiva had a sad look on her face as she understood how many victims there were. Luft popped up as he said, "Demon, I know you didn't get along with him, but have a little respect for the dead." I scoffed as I stared at him and said, "Luft, the only reason I didn't kill him myself was because his majesty begged me not to touch him while we were here. I have far more respect for Prince Shiva than I do for Sidmeier. Death will not change that. Now…"

Prince Shiva cut me off. "Enough. Luft, I shall entrust you with the job of reuniting and reviving the Imperial fleet." Luft bowed his head as he said, "I respectfully accept the appointment. I'll push these old bones to do everything that they can." I scoffed as I said, "Pfft, old bones? Luft, you're still a kid compared to me. If anybody should be saying that, it would be me." The both of us laughed at my joke before he said, "Now then, Tact. As for your future…" Part of me had a feeling what he was going to say, but I still couldn't help but hold my breath a bit as I waited for him to finish.

"I would like to trust the Elsior and the Angel wing to your continuing command. Will you accept?" I let out a quiet sigh of relief. I was actually getting used to having Tact around. It would be a damn shame to send him on his way without at least imparting some of my knowledge onto him.

Tact smiled and said, "Of course. Thank you for the appointment."

Luft nodded as he said, "Take care of them. I have other things to talk about, but my problems are still piling up. When you have the time, I'd like a full report. In any case, go ahead and get some rest." Tact bid him farewell and closed the com line.

He turned to the Angel wing and said, "…So that's how it is, everybody. I'm back to being your commander." I scoffed, "Great, Eonia screwed up, now we're never going to get rid of him." Prince Shiva and I laughed at my joke, but everyone else just looked at us horrified as I added, "It was a joke, by the stars, lighten up. I'm actually starting to like him, even if he does get on my nerves every now and again." I threw him a snarky look as everyone laughed at that joke with him saying, "What did I do to deserve this?" As Milfeulle welcomed Tact back as the commanding officer, there was an awkward silence between the two of them for a few moments. That had me worried. I swear, if I threw away my chance with her for him to screw up, there would be nowhere in the galaxy far enough away to hide him from me.

Then the alarms went off, causing Lester to jump and call for a report. Coco answered him. "Change detected in the Black Moon! Sending image to the main screen!" Oh right, almost forgot we weren't out of the woods yet with that thing. She continued, "The Black Moon is producing automated ships one after another. They're starting to gather on its periphery." Great, of course an arms factory would have extras lying around. Not going to lie, this thing was beginning to get on my nerves. The automated ships were forming a defensive line in place of the attack satellites that the Angel wing had just destroyed. Figures it would patch that up as quick as it could, so much for that window of opportunity.

As the discussion continued on the bridge about the black moon's production capabilities, I decided to get lost in my thoughts. So, if the black moon was similar to the white moon, then shouldn't the white moon have a similar capability? I was so entranced by my own thoughts that I didn't realize the angel wing had left the bridge and Prince Shiva was tugging on my tails, snapping me out of my thoughts. She motioned her head towards the door, to which I nodded, and followed her off the bridge.

As we traversed the hall towards the elevator, Shiva asked, "You looked deep in thought, Howard. What's on your mind?" I glanced at her before answering, "I got to thinking about the Black moon. If it's similar to the white moon, then shouldn't the white moon be able to do something similar along those lines?" Shiva's expression jumped a bit as she said, "I…I'm not sure. Though, it would greatly help our situation if it could. We could ask Lady Shatoyarn about it and see if she knows more."

There's that name again. I swear, I've heard the name Shatoyarn before, but I couldn't remember where.

As I called the elevator, I looked at Shiva and said, "That name. Who is Lady Shatoyarn? I've heard the name before, but I can't remember where, and it's bugging the hell out of me." Shiva replied, "She's the Holy mother in charge of the White Moon. She basically handles everyone involving the white moon from the collection of Lost Technology to the Angel Wing to the defense of the White moon. I'm surprised you didn't know that. Age starting to catch up with you there, Howard?" She threw me a jokingly coy look as I said, "No, it's not that. I kinda knew that, but it feels like I've heard the name in reference to something else that was completely different. Ahhh, it's no bother, I'll remember eventually."

The elevator arrived and we boarded it as Shiva continued, "Did you really not like Admiral Sidmeier that much? I mean, I remember what happened at the royal gala vaguely, but still, I didn't think you held a grudge like that against him." I shrugged my shoulders as I said, "It's not just that. He's always been too arrogant and he let his power go to his head entirely too much. If he hadn't been so drunk off of a simple victory, he probably would have seen this whole mess coming and we might have been better prepared for it. However, no use speculating about it at this point."

She nodded as she then brought up another point. "So, not saying I'm not impressed with your abilities, but, um…since when can you breathe in space?" The doors opened on Deck C as I replied, "Actually, I discovered that by accident during the boarding incident. They tried venting the air out of a compartment they had me isolated in, and…well. It's a bit odd, but something told me to focus my power towards my chest. I did that, and I was able to breathe. I decided to put it to the test back on the shuttle, and sure enough, it worked. Plus, it felt good to be back in action and to deal some payback to those annoying flies."

Shiva chuckled as she said, "While I'm glad you enjoyed yourself, you didn't come out of that without a scratch." She poked me through one of the holes in my armor as I said, "Yeah, this armor was getting old anyway. Which actually brings up something I've been meaning to talk to you about. So, back when the Blancmanche merchants were here, there was an apprentice blacksmith advertising his masters forge back on Transbaal. I got to talking with him, and he took a good look at my armor. Apparently, his master has been itching for the opportunity to craft some quality work since all he ever gets is requests for novelty items. I think we should give him a royal commission for my armor, as well as anything else that either myself, or you decree would be needed. What do you think?" As we walked into the audience chamber, I swear, I've never seen a grin that big on her face in my life.

Shiva sat down and replied, "Absolutely. You have my full blessing to set up a commission with this blacksmith upon our return to Transbaal. Now, with that issue out of the way, as for what I have in mind for you." I took a seat next to her as she looked to the ground, her expression dropping faster than a ship in Chrono drive. "I know how much Eonia means to you. So, this isn't exactly easy for me to ask."

I shifted lightly in my seat, uncomfortable with what I was afraid was coming. "When we catch up to Eonia, I want you to take a shuttle. The Angel wing will carve you a path to his flagship, and you're to board it. He'll have one last chance to surrender himself to you for judgement. If he doesn't…"

"…I'm to kill him." I finished for her. I was in a split state. Half of me was in absolute shock at the fact that, even with all this extra death and destruction that he has caused, Shiva's still willing to spare him for my sake. On the other half was dread. She was basically ordering me to kill a man I raised like my own son since before he could walk. I couldn't have been more proud of Shiva for making a tough call like that. But on that same note, I was sick at the idea of having to kill Eonia. Nevertheless, given everything he's done, I really couldn't defend him at this point.

Shiva nodded her head and said, "Yes. I hate asking this of you, Howard. But, out of everyone in the galaxy he's hurt, he hurt you the worst. I couldn't think of a more fitting punishment for him if he doesn't surrender. I understand if you don't want to undertake…"

"It will be done, Shiva. No matter what happens, when we find him, this will end."

She looked at me with surprise before she lightly smiled and said, "Somehow, I shouldn't be surprised. You have been my most loyal guardian and most trusted friend. Thank you." She then stood out of her chair and hugged me. I hugged her back for a few moments before she asked, "By the way, how are things between you and Milfeulle Sakuraba?" My stomach lightly jumped when she asked that as we broke the hug and I said, "Tact had an interest in her as well, so when he wanted to ask her to the ball, I told him he didn't need my permission to ask her. So, as it stands, we're really good friends. Hopefully, Tact won't screw up any more than he has at this point and their relationship will grow…I hope." Adding that last part on there, Shiva looked at me with an irritated look as she said, "Seriously, Howard? You have every right to be happy just like everyone else. Don't get me wrong, I'm not upset at you trying to help Tact out. You've always been a good person at heart and placed others above yourself. The stars only knows how many times you've proven this. But it doesn't hurt to be a little bit selfish every now and again."

I couldn't help but laugh at this situation. Shiva smiled as I said jokingly, "My, how the tables have turned. Instead of me lecturing you, it's you lecturing me. It's official, I'm out of a job. I'm putting in my two week notice." We both laughed at my joke before I stood up and said, "Well, if you'll excuse me, Shiva, I need to take this off. Unfortunately, it's not useful at this point. I'll talk with Creta in the hanger and see if I can't use some spare parts to patch it up until we get back to Transbaal." She bowed to me lightly, and I to her as I took my leave and made my way to the hanger.

After a brief discussion with Creta, she was more than happy to take on the job. Whether it was because she wanted a change of pace, or something easier to do for a change, I don't know, but I wasn't going to look a gift horse in the mouth. From there, I made my way to the Galactic viewing park to find part of the ceiling broken apart and hanging down. If I didn't know any better, I would have guessed that the sky was falling from the look of it. Part of me was a bit disappointed that this part of the ship took damage, but at least it didn't take much. So, I took it upon myself and used my power to start shifting parts of the ceiling back in place. You could imagine my surprise when I found out the same power I used to erect a barrier around the Elsior, could also be used to move things around. Granted, I was still shaky at it, but I figured now would be a good time to practice.

I was in the part for about half an hour and was about two thirds of the way done fixing the first panel when Milfeulle came in. "Oh, Demon! You came here too?" I looked back at Milfeulle as I stopped fixing the panel and said, "Yeah, I figured I'd come here and clear my head. Though, you can imagine my surprise when I saw the ceiling, so I decided to take a bit of time and practice using my newfound power and fix it up a bit." She smiled as she said, "You're not wearing your armor. That's a nice change." I was surprised she pointed that out that I felt my face heat up a bit. Was I blushing? I quickly brushed it aside as I said, "Yeah, I took it down to Creta to see if she'd be willing to patch it up for me until we got back to Transbaal. Surprisingly, she jumped at the chance, so, since I can't really sleep at the moment, I decided to come here."

She walked up beside me and looked at the panel I was working on. She looked at me and said, "Want to show me what you were doing?" I couldn't help but smile as I lifted my hand and focused my power back towards the panel, slowly mending the broken edges as I said, "What I'm doing here is I'm focusing on the broken edges of the panels and meshing them back into one seamless piece. I'm still a bit…new at this, but hopefully, this will give me the practice I need to use it for more localized uses." I glanced over at her and saw her smiling at me.

I smirked and asked, "So, how are you and Tact doing?" She jumped a bit at the question as she said, "Oh, well. I like him a lot, and he's a really good guy and commander…" Before she could finish, however, in came Tact. I swear, his timing is just too perfect.

Milfeulle's attention shot to him. "Ahh, Tact, you decided to come here too?"

He walked over to us and replied, "Hey Milfie, Demon. I would say have you two seen the ceiling, but…" He took notice of the fact I was fixing it. That was nice of him…I'm being sarcastic, by the way.

Milfeulle then said, "Yes. I was pretty surprised too."

As they continued their conversation, I couldn't help but feel a bit odd while I was fixing the ceiling. It was a combination of anger, sadness, and irritation. Like I didn't want to be near their conversation.

Was I jealous?

No, there couldn't be any possible way I was jealous. I was the one that set them down this road for the sake of the stars. I willingly gave up my chance with her so I could let those two have their moment. So, I decided to tune them out and refocus my efforts towards fixing the panel. However, I didn't have much success…

Tact's voice was the first I heard. "Yeah…A lot of places are damaged like this. I wonder if we're really going to be okay…" Wow, did I seriously want to slap him right now for saying that to Milfeulle of all people.

She replied, "I'm…worried too. Can we actually win?"

Tact sighed before saying, "…To tell the truth, I don't know. Are we good enough to…"

She cut him off, "Um, Tact. Is there anything that I can do?"

Tact paused for a moment, "Let's see…Well, for one, how about cheering me up? I've got to keep it together here." I rolled my eyes at his answer. Really? That was the best you could come up with?

She replied with, "I understand. Hang in there!" You know, I am usually all for her antics and humor, but I think she completely missed his point in this case. Though, he didn't help his case by making it extremely vague.

He laughed before saying, "That's not quite it."

She was quick to apologize, even though she had no reason too. He continued, "It's alright. I really wish I could." She then asked him to walk with her, to which he agreed. She then looked at me and said, "We'll be right back Demon." I looked at her, smirked, and nodded before getting back to work on the panel.

After about ten minutes, I finally finished the one panel. Even though I was still relatively new at this, it looked pretty good. So, I decided to start another one. Before I could start, however, a loud trilling alarm began to ring out. I ran over to Milfeulle and Tact as they asked what that alarm was. I could hear a mechanical shifting, like something was beginning to open. Next thing we knew, a massive gale kicked up and caught all three of us off balance. I regained my footing almost instantly and grabbed the two of them by their arms to help them with their balance. Then Lester's voice came over the com system.

"Hey! Is somebody in the park!? If so, hurry up and evacuate!"

Tact spoke up over the wind, "Lester! What's going on here!?"

Lester was surprised to hear Tact's voice. "Tact!? You idiot, what are you doing…"

Milfeulle stepped in, "We're just in the park, there's no reason to call us idiots."

Then I spoke up, "Unless you're accusing us of something, which, if you're smart, isn't the case."

Lester quickly answered, "Whatever, just run! The park's airlock suddenly started opening!" The airlock? I can breathe just fine without the air. Tact and Milfeulle, however…

Milfeulle looked up in shock as she said, "Ehhh!? You're right, a corner of the ceiling is open!"

Tact then spoke up, "No way! That would mean the double airlocks are both open at the same time…" Weren't they designed to not work like that? Wait a minute…

Lester continued, "It's already opened, we can't do anything about it. We don't know what's broken, but the bridge controls aren't working either. In ten minutes, all of the air there will be gone. You've got to get out. And when you leave, make sure to close the barrier." The odds of all of that happening at the same time are about as good as getting struck by lightning…..oh no.

Milfeulle's luck.

Tact acknowledged and called for us to follow him. I looked at Milfeulle as she said, "But what'll happen to the park if the airlock opens?" That was a very valid point, sadly, everything in here would suffocate to death. Plants can't survive without oxygen. As Tact explained it, Milfeulle began to break down. Once she brought up the Kafukafu tree, I began to wonder if there was anything we could do. Then Tact chimed in.

"Okay, I'll close that airlock. I can get up to it using that ladder. From there, I can close it manually." Good thinking Tact.

Then she looked at him with a determined look, "Yes! I'll help you too!"

Lester was exasperated, "I can't believe I'm hearing this. Look here!"

I decided to step in as well. "Mr. Coolduras, that will be quite enough. The situation will be handled, you will receive a report when we're done." With that, I closed the com line, and the three of us made a sprint for the ladder towards the manual controls.

Tact began to climb the ladder, and I was getting ready to start up behind him when Milfeulle called out for him to look out. We were both confused what she meant until Tact get hit with a can in the face. Of course the garbage would start flying as well. After he got hit with a few pieces, I used my energy whip to try and deflect as much of it as I could. The wind, however, was knocking my aim off, so I was only hitting every other piece. After Tact got shoved inside a trash can that started to pull him toward the airlock, I used my energy whip and wrapped it around his ankle. I managed to stop him from being pulled out, but I couldn't pull him back down with the force of the pressure difference. Milfeulle called for him to stick his arm out and grab the railing that was near him. Once he got a hold of it, he pulled the can off him and I retracted my whip.

After making sure he was alright, he made his way over to the manual controls. However, when he tried to close the airlock, the hydraulic mechanism wasn't pushing the hatch very hard. It must have been damaged as well. I groaned as Tact shouted, "The controls aren't responding to my commands. I don't know what else we can do." Then I shouted at him, "Keep pushing the controls to close the hatch!" I leapt into the wind and let it carry me towards the airlock as both Milfeulle and Tact shouted after me. As I drew close to the airlock, I used my energy whip to latch onto a maintenance ladder rung and pull myself behind the hatch. From there, I placed myself between the bulkhead and the hatch and started to push the hatch shut. After about a minute, between Tact and me, we managed to seal the airlock and stop the rest of the air from escaping. However, once the airlock was shut, I lost my footing and fell off the rung.

I could hear the two of them shouting after me as I fell. Thinking quickly, I whirled my energy whip around a few times to get a good flow of momentum going, then launched it at the rung I had used a second ago. It wrapped around the rung, and yanked on my arm, stopping me from falling. I was still about thirty feet in the air, but I could handle that. I whipped my arm, sending a wave through the whip and released it from the rung, allowing me to drop to the ground as it retracted back into my claws. I shook out my arm as Tact and Milfeulle both ran over to me to make sure I was alright.

After I reassured them that I was fine, Tact decided to set the park off limits with the exception to the repair crew and investigation crew. As they began to come to the realization that it was Milfeulle's luck that caused this incident, her mood dropped from worry to guilt as she apologized for her luck. Tact tried to calm her down by saying that his worries were gone as a result of it. Plus, he also managed to save the park as a result of taking a few lumps. Then he brought up the point that she'd been acting a bit odd since the ball. She denied it of course, but even though he dismissed it, I wasn't convinced. Then when she decided to go, he offered to go with her, to which she declined. Then I offered to go with her, and she declined me as well. She then said excuse me and ran out.

Tact looked after as he said, "…What's wrong with her? She didn't need to run off in a panic like that…Well, whatever. I have to get going too. Now that I've settled down, I'm ready to get some sleep." I couldn't help myself at this point and slapped him upside the head. Holding his head, he asked what I did that for.

"Ok, jackass, I seriously don't get why I am still trying to help you with her at this point. She ran out of here in a panic because obviously, something is bothering her. Your job, at this point, is to go chase after her and try and figure out what's wrong."

Tact looked at me and said, "Ok, ok, I'll go find her a bit later when she's calmed down. I don't think it would do much good if I chased her now." To that, we both left the park and I went back to my room for the night. As I got undressed, I couldn't help but be worried about Milfeulle. Why was I helping Tact at this point? Was I really trying to help him, or was I just trying to keep myself distanced from having a relationship at all. Of course, while not having a relationship would help keep me from getting distracted, on that same note. I actually liked how it felt to have someone to think about and be affectionate towards. Once I took a well-deserved shower, I got in my bed and fell asleep.

Several hours later, I heard Almo's voice come over the announcement circuit. "Commander Mayers, Angel Wing, and Demon of the West, your presence is requested on the bridge. I say again, Commander…"

I sat up and rubbed my face. I definitely felt a lot better after getting some sleep, but within a few minutes of getting my bearings, my thought process resumed the track it was on before I went to bed. However, that would have to wait. I quickly got dressed in my normal red under tunic and white tunic with my fur tails. I made a reach for my armor before I realized that I gave it to Creta to patch up. Once I was dressed, I quickly made my way to the bridge.

Upon arriving at the bridge, I found most of the Angel wing, minus Milfeulle and Ranpha, as well as Lester, Creta and Prince Shiva waiting. I apologized for my delay, which Shiva quickly dismissed. Tact arrived a few minutes later and apologized as well, to which Shiva scolded him. One of the perks of being the Prince's guardian. However, Ranpha and Milfeulle were still missing.

I looked over at Forte and asked, "Where are Ranpha and Milfeulle? It's not like them to be late to things like this." Forte looked at me before responding, "I sent Ranpha to go find Milfeulle. She wasn't answering her com line and her room was empty." This had me worried. As I shook my head lightly, Creta walked by the door and pulled a cart behind her, saying, "Well, before we begin, I finished patching up your armor. I used a few spare armor plates we had from the Emblem frames, so it should last you until you get a new set forged. I also took the liberty of adding a layer of ballistic mesh behind the armor already present, so it will be harder to shoot through. Though, that doesn't mean go jump in front of Forte during target practice." Everyone chuckled at her joke as I walked forward and said, "Thank you very much Creta. Funny enough, that will be coming in very good use here soon."

I began to put my armor back on when Ranpha ran onto the bridge. "Hold on! I finally found her!" Milfeulle glumly walked onto the bridge behind her, not saying a word. I looked at her and that look of misery would have made a clown cry, I swear. I finished strapping my armor on and began putting my pauldrons back on as Ranpha continued, "Hey, listen to this! Milfie was hiding in the warehouse!" As I finished strapping my other pauldron on and adjusted it, Milfeulle spoke up, "I-I wasn't really hiding." Ranpha shot her a sarcastic look as she said, "Hrmph. Then what would you call sitting in the corner if not hiding?"

I walked over to Milfeulle as Tact asked her what was wrong. She said that she was alright, but I wasn't convinced. I leaned my head next to her ear and whispered, "Somebody who's alright doesn't sit in a corner in the warehouse. Would you feel better if you talked about it privately?" She shook her head as she whispered, "I'm okay, really Demon. It is kind of you to ask though, thank you." I straightened up, still not convinced as I turned towards the group as Mint spoke up. "Everybody is here now. Okay, Miss Creta, what do you have to tell us?"

She stepped forward and began, "Yes. During the battle last night, the phenomenon that happened with the Elsior and the Emblem Frames. The result of our investigation is that all the control and power systems of the Elsior and the Frames have been rewritten. In other words, even though the exteriors haven't changed, the contents have been completely reborn." I groaned lightly, resulting in me getting an elbow in my thigh by Prince Shiva. We already knew that, well, at least I did since Almo was the one who called it out during the battle yesterday. Not to mention all the systems that were on fire were suddenly fixed was a pretty big clue too. Coco added, "Like I thought, so the systems weren't going berserk…" I rolled my eyes as Almo said, "But wasn't there suspicious access from outside during then?" Wait, what? When the hell did that happen?

Creta answered, "This didn't come from outside of the ships. The new system data has been sleeping inside them for a long time." Tact then asked, "Asleep inside them? Then you mean that it was woken up?" Very astute deduction Tact, even if it was completely unnecessary. Creta continued, "Right. As you know, there's still a lot that we don't know about Lost Technology." Yeah, that's for damn sure. "Our technological analysis is progressing well, but we still can't duplicate these ships…and even though we Priestesses of the White Moon have studied hard, most of the tech in the Elsior and Frames remains a mystery."

Forte commented, "Even though they're the jewels of Lost Technology, in the end, they're still just big black boxes to us?" Creta replied, "That's one view to take. But I was finally able to get a clue to their mystery last night. First, as to the system update, I believe it's related to the pilot's mental condition, but I'm not sure of the details. But, I do know that all the performance features; attack defense, and speed increase while the frames have their wings. What's more, all pilot's link to the HALO system was recorded at over 100%. In those situations, when the shining wings appear, it seems like the full potential of the Emblem Frames can be drawn out."

Each of the girls were in shock at the new information, I, however, got lost in thought again. So, if that brought out the best in the frames, did that mean we'd have to be put into a situation like that again to get the wings to reappear? That also raised another question. How did the frames attain a link beyond 100%? Was that even physically possible without killing the pilot? Then a statement Creta made snapped me out of my thoughts.

"If Lady Shatoyarn were here, she might have some insight, but given the situation…" That damn name again. This was seriously going to drive me batty. Where have I heard that name before? I get she's the Holy Mother of the White Moon, but I swear there was another situation where I heard her name.

Tact thanked Creta for her explanation before asking if the Elsior was altered in the same way, to which Creta confirmed. However, only the defensive systems and shields were reinforced. Lester was disappointed in the lack of a bolster to the attack system, but Creta made a comment that really caught my attention, "Yeah…or rather, maybe we should say that it does for now?"

My eyebrows shot up at this as Tact said, "For now? Sounds like you've got something to add." She smiled as she said, "Actually, in the rewritten systems, I found data showing a possible armament we could add to the Elsior." You know, I thought the carrier looked like it wasn't finished. I thought I was just being picky. Tact then asked, "Another armament? What is it?" Creta replied, "A large scale energy cannon that could be attached to the bow. I think it'd be enough to stand against the Black Moon." Hang on, we had access to a weapon powerful enough to combat the black moon, yet we didn't use it at the beginning of this Coup? Are you kidding me right now? What in the name of the stars happened to that cannon? Naturally, it was Milfeulle who asked that question. I was beginning to think if Mint was the only telepathic one in the lot.

Creta walked over to a panel and pulled up a display of a set of blueprints for a weapons plant, saying that she found it with the weapon data. So, not only did we have a large scale weapon, but we also had access to a weapons plant as well? The more Creta kept talking, the angrier I began to get. Who would seriously sit on all of this during a war and not utilize it? It was almost as if they wanted the war to drag out. At this point, I'd been silent long enough.

"So where is this weapon exactly?"

Creta hesitated before she said, "I think Prince Shiva knows that better than I do." My gaze shot immediately to her in shock. No, there was no way she would purposely sit on information like this when her people were dying and her family had been wiped out. As we all looked at her, She said, "Even I am not certain either. However, I think that I do know this place." Tact begged her to say what it was, to which she said, "It's…the White Moon." And that unleashed the firestorm that confused the hell out of everyone, myself included.

As the discussion continued, I couldn't help but feel rage towards the white moon. They had the access to compete and combat with the army that Eonia brought with him, but instead chose to be passive in the conflict that wiped out the royal family, and Fargo, and Rhome, and who knows how many billions of people.

After a few minutes, Tact made the decision to head to the White moon. Like that was even in doubt. Between getting the armaments needed to take on Eonia and the Black Moon, as well as getting a full explanation of this from Lady Shatoyarn, all roads led to the same place. There was some argument from Lester, however, that was quickly put to rest.

Milfeulle added something that really tugged at my heartstrings. "I understand. I'll…do my best to not cause you any problems." Tact reassured that she was no trouble at all, to which I only shook my head. It was painfully obvious that something was bothering her and had her convinced that she was trouble. Yet, dipstick over there couldn't be more troubled to delve deeper into the matter. Looks like the only way to fix that problem is to give it a…friendly nudge in the right direction.

Tact ordered the ship to set course for the white moon. Hopefully, despite the fact it's at the heart of Eonia's fleet, we will be able to plow our way through and get some help, or at the very least…

Get some answers for some very strong questions.

 _ **Good evening folks, I hope you're enjoying the story so far. Quick disclaimer. Once again, I do not own the Galaxy Angel series, or the character Inu-no-Taisho that my OC was styled after.**_

 _ **Howard: Why are you doing that?**_

 _ **Doing what?**_

 _ **Howard: Putting Milfeulle into a conflict of interest between me and Tact like that?**_

 _ **I figured it would add a bit of flavor to the story.**_

 _ **Howard: Stop torturing the poor girl.**_

 _ **Awww, you really do care. Would you like to know who she picks in the end?**_

 _ **Howard: No, I only want her to stop being messed with like that.**_

 _ **Oh….well, I wasn't expecting that answer. Well, regardless, you'll get your wish soon.**_

 _ **Howard: Good.**_

 _ **Until then, we'll see you readers in the next chapter. Please review and favorite!**_


	14. Chapter 14: Disputed Affections

_**Chapter 14: Disputed Affections**_

Tact requested for Luft to come aboard before we departed to get him up to speed on our plans. The angel wing departed the bridge and I escorted Prince Shiva back to her quarters before going along my way. As I made my way through the ship, I honestly couldn't help but be worried about Milfeulle. Obviously, there was something troubling her, so since Tact is dragging his feet addressing the issue, I'm going to give him a nudge in the right direction.

After he had finished with his briefing with Luft, it had been decided that we were going to stop at the Blancmanche planet to repair and resupply since we badly needed it if we were going to take on the bulk of Eonia's fleet. However, before we had even left Rhome, the Black Moon began to move as well. Looks like Eonia was on to us. So, once Luft made a hasty departure, we made a Chrono jump and hightailed it to the Blancmanche planet.

I was very old friends with Darno Blancmanche. Well, actually, more like old acquaintances. I knew him from his youth when he first started his corporation. Back then, it was more like a mom and pop kind of store before it grew. If there was one thing Darno was extremely gifted with, it was finances. Within the decade, he went from a simple store, to a chain, into an intergalactic corporation. I first met him the better part of thirty years ago, roughly. I was looking for a gift for Prince Gerard's birthday (this was before he ascended to the throne). I actually met Darno when he used his telepathy to figure out what I was looking for. He wasn't too bad to deal with back then. Though, every following occasion we met, he became more and more…blunt, I guess would be the word. Nevertheless, I couldn't fault his talent for being able to spot the right thing for the customer. Not once did I get something from him that my charges disliked for their birthdays.

As we were completing our resupply, I stood on the bridge with Tact and Lester. I was more there to make sure that pushy salesman from last time had no involvement in this resupply. Despite multiple reassurances, I wanted to be absolutely sure. Almo spoke up, snapping me from my thoughts. "Commander Mayers. Communication for you from Darno Blancmanche." I raised my eyebrows as I looked at him in surprise. Tact told her to open a channel, to which, she did, and an image of Darno came up on the display in front of us.

"So you're the commander? I finally get to meet you. I am Darno Blancmanche."

Tact replied, "I'm the commander, Tact Mayers. It's an honor to meet you, Mr. Blancmanche." Good choice playing the respect card Tact.

Darno continued, "I am in your debt for watching over my daughter. And you may feel free to call me Darno."

Tact then said, "I understand, Mr. Darno. We're grateful for you allowing us to suddenly show up and helping us with our repairs and supplies."

Darno replied, "No, of course I'd help you. My Blancmanche group will support you however we can." I couldn't help but smile. I kinda already knew this all too well from my previous interactions with him. As their conversation continued, it turned from official business to focusing on Mint. Apparently, her father and her don't quite see eye to eye. Given the two personalities, I still find it hard to believe they're related. But, I was silently observant as Tact basically told him to let her be her own person and look at it from her point of view.

"You're very forthright. It has been a long time since somebody has spoken so openly to me." I rolled my eyes as I said, "Oh, come now Darno, it hasn't been THAT long since the last time we met." That was when he realized I was there.

"Ahh! The Demon of the West! I had no idea that you were on board. It's good to see you well, old friend. You have my condolences on your loss of his Majesty, King Gerard. I remember when you first came into my shop all those years ago to find him a nice birthday gift."

The gaze of everyone on the bridge shifted to me as I bowed my head lightly and replied, "Thank you Darno. While I lost one of my best friends, the memories will always carry his spirit. I can assure you that I will contact you when this…conflict has been resolved and proper services can be arranged for paying respect to him and his family."

He bowed his head lightly and said, "Thank you my lord. Please ask Mint to contact me. If you will excuse me, I have some matters to attend to." With that the com line closed. Lester suggested for Tact to get some rest, to which Tact said he's go get some food.

Time to make my move.

As Tact walked off the bridge, I followed after him. He didn't notice me following him until I said, "Yo Tact, we need to chat." As we walked through the passageway, I began to explain to Tact that he needed to talk to Milfeulle. However, I didn't get far in my lecture when we actually found her walking through the passage. Tact tried to call out to her, but she kept on walking. He was pretty loud, so that tells me that she was more distracted than I originally thought. I looked at him and said, "What the hell are you waiting for? Christmas? Go after her you dimwit!" I shoved him forward, forcing him to start running to catch him balance as he chased after her.

However, I don't know if he was able to catch up to her. Once the resupply was finished, he was called back to the bridge. I decided to head to the bridge to see if he had any luck. I walked onto the bridge as the ship shifted into Chrono space. As Lester left the bridge, I walked up to Tact and said, "Did you catch up to her?" He looked at me and said, "No, she's been avoiding me. Every time I see her, she bolts in the opposite direction and I lose track of her." I rolled my eyes before I said, "Ok, we're in Chrono drive, so it should be relatively easier to track her down now that you won't be called to the bridge for a while. Now, you check her room, I'll head to the park and we'll meet up on Deck B if we have no luck, alright?" He nodded and we split up and began our search.

I walked into the park and took a walk around. Everything had been repaired while we were at the Blancmanche planet, so it was nice to see everything back as it should be. I walked around the entirety of the park, but I caught nothing of Milfeulle. No sight, sound, scent, nothing. So, I decided to make my way down towards the tea lounge next. And sure enough, I heard Milfeulle and Tact talking. I waited by the doorway and listened in on their conversation. But, man, did I pick a bad spot to come in on it.

"…I don't think that I should see you for a while, Tact."

….WHAT?! Tact, what the hell did you do?

"Why!? If I did something to offend you, I apologize."

"No, the problem isn't you. It's my fault!" Ok, now I'm confused. How, exactly?

"What are you talking about? Please tell me exactly what you mean."

"When you're with me, unusual things are always happening. You know that, right?" That's not completely true, but ok.

"Yeah, of course. What about it?"

"I don't want to involve you in my fate any more. I don't want to burden you. So, you should try to stay away from me as much as possible…"

"What are you talking about? Up to now, I've never thought of being around you was a burden, have I?"

"Until now, it's been okay, but what'll happen after this…"

"Are you sure it's not because you want to be with the Demon and you are worried about hurting my feelings? Because it's perfectly alright if that's the case." What the…why is he dragging me in on this?

"No, it's not that. I like him a lot too. But I don't want to cause any trouble for either of you. I don't want to see you get hurt because of my luck." I rolled my eyes as Tact said, "Milfie, I'm pretty sure the Demon isn't worried about your luck at all. I mean, come on, he jumped out of a shuttle into space to fight against fighters that were twenty times his size! Who does that?"

"I know, but at the same time, things will just get more dangerous as we get closer to the white moon. You remember the air lock in the park the other day? What if something had happened to you or him?"

"We managed to handle that situation pretty well all things considered…"

"Even so! They've just been funny stories so far, but I don't think that it's going to stay that way! And if you or him are with me, what if something happened that threatened your lives?"

"Somehow, I don't think he'd be the least bit concerned about that. As for me, I've always managed."

"I'm sorry! I'm really sorry! Goodbye, Tact!"

The next thing I heard was footsteps rushing towards the door. I backed up a bit so she wouldn't hit me on the way out. Milfeulle rounded the corner, saw me and jumped. I looked at her and said, "Milfeulle…" I didn't even finish my sentence before she turned and bolted the other way. I shook my head and walked into the lounge to find Tact with a glum look on his face. Then Ranpha showed up.

"That didn't go well."

We both looked at her, wondering where she popped in from as Tact said, "Ranpha…you were listening?"

She nodded as she replied, "So that's what Milfie was thinking about. I've known her for a long time, and I'm still surprised."

Tact leaned back as he said, "But we're both on the Elsior, how is she going to avoid ever being around me or involving me in anything strange? Sooner or later…I just don't get it."

I walked over to him and slapped him across the head, which caught Ranpha off guard.

"Tact, I did not throw away my chance to be with her just for you to flush yours down the drain!"

He was holding his head as he said, "I don't know what to do…"

I growled lightly as I said, "Go get some sleep. With some luck, and a prayer, you'll both be a bit calmer and can settle this once and for all." With that, he got up and left to head back to his room. I sighed and looked at Ranpha, who was a bit irritated as she said, "Did you have to kick him while he's down?" I shook my head as I put my hands on my hips and said, "She is the first girl I've actually fallen in love with in 400 years. Yet, I figured Tact would be a better fit for her than I would, so I let him try to build on that chance. So far, since the ball, he's been pouring it down the drain and making my sacrifice for nothing. It's really getting on my nerves at how clueless he's been lately."

Ranpha's expression dropped as she said, "You're…in love with Milfie?"

I nodded as she looked at me and said, "Then why are you letting Tact steal your love away? If you really did love her, you would fight for her."

I looked back at her and said, "What do you think I'm doing by poking Tact with a cattle prod over and over again? I'm fighting for her and him to have that chance."

She scoffed as she said, "It sounds to me like you're just a coward and are running away from it. You've never experienced love before and the fact that it's new is scaring you because you don't know what to do."

My blood began to run hot as I said, "You better be very careful with what you say next Ranpha. You're treading where those who have before you, didn't survive to tell the tale."

She threw her arms in the air as she said, "Or what? You're going to kill me? Fine, but that doesn't change the fact that you're still a coward from running away from what is probably going to be the best thing that ever happened to you. And the worst part about it is you damn well know it!"

Part of me was pissed beyond words at how she had addressed me, but another part of me knew that to a degree, she was right. So, I did the only thing that crossed my mind. I turned, walked out of the lounge and said, "Then I guess it would behoove me to make sure Tact doesn't follow in my footsteps, now, wouldn't it?"

I decided to head back to my room to get some sleep, but I didn't have much luck. I was too irritated with what Ranpha said, and the fact that Milfeulle seemed basically depressed, made me feel even worse. So, I got up early in the morning shortly before we completed drive out and made my way towards Tact's quarters. What I wasn't expecting was to find Milfeulle running away from Tact. I followed behind as Milfeulle yelled at Tact not to follow her. As I kept up with Tact, I asked, "What the hell, you haven't cornered her yet? Dude, you had all night…" Tact waved me off as Almo came over the announcement circuit. "Elsior will be completing Drive out soon. All hands report to high alert stations. Commander Mayers, report to the bridge."

Milfeulle called out, "See, Tact! You have to hurry to the bridge!"

I rolled my eyes and said, "They'll live an extra few minutes without you."

Tact then called out, "And aren't you supposed to be standing by at the hanger!?"

I glared at him as she called out, "Even if I wanted to, I can't because you're chasing me!"

After a few minutes, Tact was beginning to get winded, as was Milfeulle as he said, "Milfie, that's enough. Just listen to what I have to say."

She was panting as she said, "I-I can't. What'll happen if you get near me…"

At which point, I decided to make my presence known. "Then I will deal with it, like I have the last several times things have happened."

She was shocked to hear me as she looked over her shoulder at the two of us running after her. Next thing we know, Lester's voice comes over the com line. "Hey! Get to your posts right now! Drive out is in five seconds!"

Tact quickly retorted, "Lester, just hold on a little longer. I'll get there once I stop Milfie from running away from me."

Milfeulle had a rebuttal of her own. "And I'll go once Tact stops chasing me!"

Lester sarcastically replied, "What the hell are you two doing!?"

I chimed in, "Trust me, Mr. Coolduras, I've been trying to figure that out for the last few minutes. Once I figure it out, I'll be sure to let you know."

He sheepishly continued, "Honestly. They're running around and now we're back in normal space….Hey!"

I decided enough was enough and used my demonic speed to blaze past Milfeulle and stop at the end of the hall, effectively cutting her off and forcing her to stop.

As Tact asked Lester what was up, the ship was rocked by an explosion, knocking all three of us off balance. Tactt and Milfeulle fell down, and I leaned against the wall, keeping my footing. Tact asked if Milfeulle was alright, to which she replied that she was fine before asking what that was.

Next thing we know, the alarms went off and Almo's voice came over. "Full spread of automated missiles in front of the Elsior! All hands to red alert!" Perfect timing, can we not get shot at for more than five minutes at a time?

Lester then called out, "Damn! The enemy was waiting for us! Tact, get back here and take command! Their fleet will be here any minute!"

As Tact acknowledged, Coco came over. "Second wave of missiles incoming! We can't evade them!" I was still off balance and couldn't get a barrier up to stop the second wave from hitting us. There was an explosion, knocking Tact and Milfeulle down and causing part of the bulkhead above to collapse. I sprinted forward and caught the bulkhead a few feet above Milfeulle before it crushed her. She just stared at me in shock as I said, "Milfeulle, please move!" She quickly scrambled out of the way as another explosion rocked the deck, causing more debris to collapse onto the piece I was holding up and dropped on top of me. I could hear Milfeulle screaming as I felt the ship rock and a couple of missiles shoot through the bulkhead and lodge in place. The fact that they didn't explode was probably thanks to Milfeulle's Luck.

When things calmed down, I could faintly hear their voices past all of the debris. I was barely able to move because of everything pinning me down, so the best thing I could do was get comfortable until they could dig me out. As I waited, I decided to listen to Tact and Milfeulle now that they were trapped together.

"Ow…are you ok, Milfie?"

"Yes, thanks to you and Demon protecting me. Ahh! Demon!"

I could hear faint rummaging, probably Milfeulle digging through the debris as Tact said, "Milfie, calm down. He's tough, odds are he's just stuck and waiting for the rescue team to dig him out when they come for us." Pretty good guess, actually.

"…Tact! You're bleeding!"

"What? This is nothing."

"Thank you very much. You saved me."

"Well, I can't take all of the credit. Demon was more instrumental in saving you than I was. Not to mention as hard as he's been trying to give me the chance to be with you."

"Eh?"

"With everything that's been going on, it's been obvious to everyone that he cares a great deal for you. But ever since I asked him if I could ask you to the ball at Fargo, he's been pushing for me to be with you as opposed to going for his own happiness."

"Tact, you must have hit your head really hard…"

"No, but this is something that I've been ignoring until now. As much as I'm sure he wants me to be with you, it's not fair to him since he was flirting with you first."

"…"

I could barely breathe with all the debris on me, so I couldn't shout at him to shut up. All that work, I can hear it being flushed away as he kept going.

"What's important here, Milfie, is that he cares for you way more than I ever could. I know he wanted me to go after you, but, I think I'm finally starting to realize just how selfish I was being. I didn't even think to take his happiness into account. He has been putting himself through so much stress and suffering to try and put the two of us together. I wouldn't be a very good person or a good friend if I just went along with it."

Great, hell of a time to get a concussion Tact. Why not tell her that she would make a great bikini model while you're at it, jackass?

"So…so you want me to be with him?"

"Ha ha, I guess that's basically what I'm saying, yeah. I've seen how you smile with him around. It's not quite the same whenever he isn't around. And I don't think I'm the only one to notice it."

"Tact…"

"Besides, it would be better for my health overall if you were with him, that way he can stop beating me up every time I mess up, ha ha, ow."

I couldn't help but roll my eyes.

"I…I think I can slip past the missile."

"Missile!? Are we safe here?"

No sooner did he say that did Coco's voice come through. "Direct hit on Deck D. The missile has misfired. Activate emergency barriers. Rescue and repair teams, report to Deck D!"

"I'm sorry! I'm really sorry!"

"No, it's alright, I wasn't trying to sound like I was blaming you."

"I got you involved again…And because of my luck, you're in danger."

At this point, I'd managed to wiggle myself a bit more loose from the debris so I could shout.

"TACT! SHUT THE HELL UP! WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING!?"

I'm pretty sure I caught their attention as I heard Milfeulle say, "Demon?"

I started ripping pieces of debris apart before I jumped a bit in pain. Apparently, one of the hydraulic pipes impaled me through my leg and I didn't notice it until now. I groaned as I broke the upper half of the pipe when Milfeulle called out for me again.

"Yeah, I can hear you. I've been sitting here under all this crud listening to Tact have his little confessional moment there. Not exactly prime listening material, especially given recent events, Tact."

"Demon, it's the truth. We both know you care more for her than I ever could."

"That isn't fair to her though. At least with you, she'd have a happy life with you. All I'd do is end up outliving her, just like I have with everyone else I ever knew."

"Who's to say she wouldn't have a happy life with you? You're the only Demon known to exist. I'd say that's a pretty exciting life between that and her luck."

"Umm, boys, I'm right here, you know."

Before I could respond, a piece of the bulkhead dropped onto my leg and pushed the pipe through a bit more, causing me to yell out in pain. Both of them called out to me, asking if I was alright, to which I replied, "Yeah, just had a pipe introduce itself to my leg. Gaahh, fucking hell, this hurts!"

Then, I heard Milfeulle start to sob, "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I tried to stay away from you, no matter how much I wanted to see you, I tried!"

I growled a bit and said, "Milfeulle, stop apologizing!"

She stifled a sob as I continued, "As much as I hate saying this after everything I did to help Tact, I can't even begin to tell you how happy I am to have known you. If I'd never met you, I'd probably be simply content with living. I've never actually known what real happiness was until I met you. Every time I see your smile, I hear your laugh, hell, even smell your cooking, since, you know, I'm a dog demon, I can't help but smile. So, in all honesty, I'd rather be happy and dealing with trouble all the time with you, than to live a relatively boring life alone."

"Demon…"

"Prince Shiva brought up a very valid point with me not long ago. There are all kinds of stories about me meant to instill fear into people. But not one of them involves a special someone in my life. Personally, I'd love the opportunity for a story like that to be told."

I heard Tact say, "Milfie, I like you a lot. But he deserves the opportunity way more than I do. We can still be friends, after all. I've always seen you happier near him. And they say that when two people share feelings, happiness is doubled and sadness is halved."

As I pushed another piece of debris off of me, I heard Milfeulle say, "Yes….yes! I'm…happier when I'm near him too. I want to always, always be with him!" If it wasn't for the fact that I was in pain, I'd probably be laughing at how much like a soap opera that sounded like.

Next thing I know, I hear an alarm go off as the emergency barrier is opened, causing some of the debris that was on top of me to get pushed back onto me. Then I hear a crewman call out, "Heey! Anybody in here!?"

As I groaned, I said, "Yeah! I was actually making progress getting out of this mess when you pushed all of this crap back on top of me! Ow! Damn it…"

Tact then called out, "What? The barrier's opening?"

Next, Milfeulle called out, "Y-Yes! There are three of us!"

I could hear Creta's voice come next. "Those voices…Milfie, the Commander, and the Demon of the West? What are you doing in here!?"

I had to groan lightly. What did she think we were doing in here?

Then, as if in response to my thought, "Oh, now I see…Did you want us to just leave you alone for a little while?"

I heard Milfeulle quietly say, "…Is that okay…?"

I rolled my eyes and shouted, "While that sounds nice, I'm afraid I'll have to pass for the sole reason that lying here under a pile of debris in a pool of my own blood is not very comfortable! Now hurry up and start digging!"

Once I had been dug out, I pushed past the rescue team and called out to Tact and Milfeulle, letting them know I was heading to the medical bay. One of the crewman tried to grab me to assist me, but I…convinced him to leave me be and focus on digging them out.

Once I got down to the medical bay, Dr. Cera looked at my leg and went to get her surgical tools. After we got the pipe out and sealed the wound in my leg, she told me to try to take it easy while it healed. Given my anatomy, I figured it'd be healed within the day, so I made my way to the bridge to find out what was going on.

Upon walking onto the bridge, Tact asked if I was alright, to which I slapped him upside the head. Lester asked, "What the hell did you do that for?" I looked at him and said, "He damn well knows. Jackass. Alright, now that I got that out of my system, what's the situation?" As Tact held his head, he filled me in that Sherry had been waiting for us and was trying to stop us from getting back to the white moon. Yeah, fat chance that was going to work.

Apparently, the hell hounds were also here helping Sherry to slow us down. Most of the ships had already been defeated except for the battleship and a couple of the hell hounds. I was surprised that they were able to repair the damage I did so fast. Though, odds are they had help from the Black moon.

Within a few minutes, the battleship had been pummeled to a firm halt and the hell hounds had been beaten. However, that's not to say that they went quietly. Camus was the first to speak.

"How disappointing. I thought I would have a better chance this time."

Milfeulle retorted, "Why don't you just not come back anymore?"

Camus simply replied, "How cold, my honey. But you are still so lovely."

Milfeulle groaned as she said, "Ueeee…I'm getting goosebumps…Save me Demon!"

I came over and said, "You go anywhere near her and I'll hop out of the nearest airlock and rip your frame apart from underneath you…again! Now get the hell out of here!"

Milfeulle was in shock as Camus said, "Oh…Now I get it. My poor honey, are you being misled by that beast still?"

Milfeulle quickly snapped, "I'm not being misled at all! Demon's a much, much better person than you!" At this point, I was fighting to hide a blush from crawling on my face.

Camus then said, "You're just having a nightmare, my honey. Allow me to crush that man and wake you from your dream. The next time we meet, darling Milfeulle, you will see the most beautiful dream. You'll find eternal sleep at my hands…"

I rolled my eyes as Milfeulle said, "Whatever! Just leave already! Get out of here!" I couldn't agree with her more.

Camus coyly replied, "Phew…The Hell Hounds must be going now. Until we meet again…adieu."

Coco passed the report that they were falling back from the area. Good riddance.

As Lester and Tact began to converse amongst themselves, I got to looking at the flagship. Now why would they leave, but leave the flagship there alone?

Then the proximity alarms went off. Coco called out, "Reaction on radar! Eonia's flagship is flying straight at us!" Sure enough, as I looked closer, it was moving in our direction. Looks like Sherry isn't going to go down without trying to drag us with her.

I shot my arm out and erected a barrier around the Elsior. Despite how much the angel wing was pounding away at it, the ship wasn't slowing down. If anything, it was speeding up. Hopefully, my barrier can stop her from hitting the Elsior. As Tact ordered full power to the engines, Lester ordered all emergency barriers to be activated and to brace for impact. A com line had been opened as we heard Sherry yell at us, "I won't let you reach Lord Eonia…You will not get in the way of that man's dreams! Fall, Elsior! I'm taking you with me!" I gritted my teeth as the ship drew closer to my barrier…until…

The ship collided with my barrier, sending a feedback pulse throughout the barrier and into my arm. As the pulse shot through the energy stream and into my arm, I could feel my arm being crushed. Nothing was broken, but I could feel the pressure the ship was putting against the barrier. I struggled to hold the barrier up and keep the ship from hitting the Elsior until the angel wing finally did enough damage to cause the battleship to explode. As it exploded, it sent another pulse through the energy stream into my arm, this time, causing a series of 1st degree burns to crawl across my hand and to the middle of my forearm. When the explosion subsided, I dropped my arm and groaned a bit.

I looked at my arm to see it lightly burned. Nowhere near as bad as the burns I sustained from the black moon, but still enough to smart a bit. As Tact thanked me, I waved him off and left the bridge to head to the hanger.

Within a minute, Tact was running to catch up to me. I raised an eyebrow as he said that he wanted to thank the angel wing for their help when they arrived. When we walked into the hanger, the frames were in the process of landing. While we watched them come in one by one, I looked at Tact and said, "You're sure about what you said earlier?" He nodded his head and slapped my pauldron, saying, "Absolutely, besides, everybody already knew it, I just gave you a friendly nudge in the right direction." I shook my head as the angel wing exited their frames and walked over to us.

While we conversed, I couldn't help but wonder why Sherry would do something that wreckless. Then again, Eonia was always charismatic and had a way with people. She was, after all, extremely loyal to Eonia despite the fact it ended up costing her life. As Tact brought up how dangerous that situation was, Milfeulle got extremely quiet. I looked at her as Tact asked if something was wrong. To which, she said, "No. That Sherry person, why would she do something like that…" Now, that question I knew all too well. Tact responded, "She laid down her life to try to stop us. She might have been an enemy, but her loyalty was admirable…"

Milfeulle was silent for a moment before saying, "…I don't understand that at all."

Tact was confused by her response before she continued, "Because if they're important enough to you to give your life for them, then they wouldn't want you to die. I would never want the person important to me to do that!" This was a very valid point, and it was often how Eonia thought when he was younger. Now though, who knows what's going through his head. I honestly don't anymore.

Forte then chimed in, "I can understand how you feel. But it's no use getting sentimental. The enemy's thrown those feelings away. Letting his subordinate helplessly die shows how big an idiot bastard Eonia is." I don't think I'd quite go that far in describing him, though, after everything, I can't blame her really.

Then she quickly changed the subject. "By. The. Way. Milfie, who exactly is that important person you just brought up?" Uh oh…..this is not looking too good for me.

Milfeulle just stammered, "Eh…Ehh?"

Then Mint jumped in, "I am interested as well. By all means, let us know who this person is." She threw me a coy look since she already had a good guess.

' _For the love of the stars, Mint, please don't go down this road.'_

"U-umm…I have no idea what you're talking about! Right, Tact?" I internally facepalmed before Mint continued, "That's alright, I know exactly what you're talking about." Everyone looked at her as I glared at her.

' _You wouldn't dare!'_

"Oh come now, is that any way to talk to your friends? I swear, your thoughts are so questionable, it makes one wonder how nobody picked up on this by now."

' _Mint, I'm warning you…'_

"There's no need to be hostile. After all, you yourself told me that it was indeed the truth."

' _Last chance Mint…'_

Ranpha spoke up, "No need to be so cold Demon, we all know what you were up to before the drive out."

Vanilla added, "We heard about it."

I groaned and dropped my head as I said, "Seriously….?"

Mint then asked, "So what were you and Milfie up to in that corridor all alone?"

Tact started, "How to put it…A state of emergency cut short the relations between a man and woman…" I glared at him for opening his mouth.

Mint said, "I see. So that's what it was."

I gave Tact a dirty look as I said, "God damn it, Tact, seriously?"

Vanilla added, "…I think I understand."

Forte wasn't satisfied, however. "No, no. Not yet. To prevent any misunderstandings, how about we hear it directly from their own mouths?"

Oh, for the sake of damnation. This was getting blown way out of proportion.

Milfeulle answered, "T-That's, um, Demon and I weren't really…"

Ranpha cut her off, "You know that you've got nothing to hide anymore? Come on already, just say it, okay?"

I rolled my eyes as I said, "You know what, figure it out. In the meantime, Vanilla, can you do me a favor and, um…" I held up my burnt arm, to which Vanilla fixed right up with her nano-machines as Milfeulle looked at me with worry, probably wondering how that happened. Once Vanilla was done, I made a decision.

"One thing I will say, however…"

The entire Angel wing looked at me, along with Tact as I smiled and said.

"Please, feel free to call me Howard. You've more than earned that right today."

 _ **And here we settle the conflict of interest. As a reminder, I don't own the Galaxy Angel series or the character Inu-no-Taisho.**_

 _ **Howard: You couldn't just let Tact have her?**_

 _ **That wouldn't fit nearly as well with what I have in mind for you in the next few stories.**_

 _ **Howard: Still, he should have been with her more than me. I'll just end up outliving her.**_

 _ **Oh, don't worry about that. He'll have a relationship of his own in due time. Plus, you don't quite know that for a fact.**_

 _ **Howard: …what?**_

 _ **Don't worry about it. In the meantime, like, review and favorite and we'll see you in the next chapter.**_

 ** _Howard: No, wait a minute, what did you mean by..._**


	15. Chapter 15: Reunion and Reassurance

_**Chapter 15: Reunion and Reassurance**_

Over the next couple of days, every time we dropped out of Chrono space, we had to deal with a small force of automated ships from Eonia's fleet. It didn't take very long to dispatch them since they were mostly cruisers and destroyers, but it still slowed us down. However, we still managed to reach the White Moon first.

When we arrived, the White Moon was still practically untouched. Apparently, after the Elsior and the Frames were forced out, Lady Shatoyarn raised a shield that was completely impenetrable. While it was nice to hear that Eonia couldn't lay a finger on it, I was still…bothered at the idea of what the moon was supposedly capable of. When Lester voiced his concerned, both Almo and Coco defended the moon, saying they didn't believe it. If that was really the case, then where did that data come from and what was it really talking about?

As we approached the White Moon, I stood silent on the bridge as Tact ordered Almo to hail it. However, when she did, we didn't receive a response. That was not good. Lester suggested that it might have already been captured, but if that was the case, then we probably would have known within seconds of hailing them. Then Prince Shiva walked onto the bridge and caught all of us off guard.

"Do not worry. Lady Shatoyarn and the White moon are safe."

I raised an eyebrow in curiosity at how she knew that, however, I decided it would be better to keep that to myself for the time being and just watch things play out. Tact, naturally, asked what she meant. She then explained, "The shield that she used blocks all interference from the outside. You could call it a kind of seal. In other words, communications and attacks cannot affect the white moon. And the opposite is also true." Ahh, so that's why she didn't answer us. She didn't hear us.

As she continued, I looked at the White moon and began to think to myself. Where have I heard her name before? This was really starting to bother me. I could have sworn I've heard the name before. When Prince Shiva brought up the fact that she was the only one who could release the seal; that gave a more specific explanation as to why Eonia was dead set on getting a hold of her.

"I'm returning to my room to release the seal. Come with me Mayers." As the duo walked off the bridge, I turned and followed suit. I was a bit curious as to how she was going to release the seal on the moon. Tact then commented, "You're going to show me how to release the seal? Lucky!" I rolled my eyes as Shiva said, "I'm not exactly bringing you to show you how to release it. I just want to speak with you." Tact voiced his disappointment before she then said, "If you're going to complain, then you don't need to come." I couldn't help but smile since I would have said the exact same thing. From there, we returned to her audience chamber.

No sooner did the door close was I caught immediately by surprise by Tact. "Okay, Princess Shiva. What do you want to…?" I didn't let him finish his sentence as I grabbed him by the throat and pinned him against the wall before I said, "What the hell did you just say, Mayers?" Shiva walked over to me and placed a hand on my other arm as she said, "It's alright, Howard, he knows. The space whale informed him about me and when he asked me about it, I came clean. He's sworn his silence about the issue until I deem it necessary. Please release him." I glared back at him, as he was struggling to try to get loose from my grip before I dropped him to the ground, causing him to start coughing for air. I stepped over to the table in the room as they began to converse.

"…Tact. Why didn't you say it clearly?"

"Yes? Say…what clearly?"

"Don't act stupid. The other day when I asked you who on the Angel Wing you liked, you evaded it." Uh oh…

I turned to look at them as she continued, "But it seems like you do have somebody that you like." I was beginning to get a bit worried at what he was going to say about that whole mess.

"Ah…Well…I mean, it's hard to…" I suppose I should be grateful the one time his inability to formulate words happened to strike now.

"If I say her name, will you admit it? I shall do so." Oh hell…moment of truth.

"It is Milfeulle Sakuraba." …shit.

As Tact started to look nervous, he began to stammer out, "Your highness, that is a bit…complicated. I…well…that's to say…I do like her. However, I realized that I wasn't the only one who was…attracted to her." They both looked at me as I groaned lightly. Shiva couldn't help but smile as she said, "Ahh, I see. Howard, as I recall, I told you that you should continue to pursue the affection you had towards Milfeulle. That said, did you speak with Tact about this?"

I sighed as I said, "Yes, he had asked me about it before the ball and wanted to know if I had any issues. Of course, I told him no, since I don't own her and they're both free to make their own choices. So, she went to the ball with him, and was starting to get closer until jackass here decided to pour his heart out after that hit we took a few days ago."

Shiva glanced at Tact before walking over to me and slapping me upside the head. "Idiot. You were trying to pair the two of them together? What were you…" I sighed again as I cut her off, "I figured they would be a much better match as opposed to her being with me. I'd just end up outliving her. However, after that whole debris incident, she's a lot keener on spending time with me. So, I think it's safe to say I won't be wasting that opportunity." She nodded her head as she looked at Tact and said, "Thank you Mayers for making that decision to give Howard a chance that he really does deserve." He bowed lightly as he said, "It was nothing. Besides, you never know what the future might hold in store. I might find someone yet, ha ha." The both of us smiled as she then said, "Now I will dissolve the seal on the White Moon. I'm sorry, but please leave the room." Tact bowed lightly and stepped out as she walked to the center of the room and began the ritual to dissolve the seal.

I decided to go back to my thoughts as I waited for her to finish. Shatoyarn. I vaguely remember her name being mentioned a few times over the last decade, but I couldn't remember if it was in regards to the White Moon, or if it was something unrelated. The Elsior began to shine as a blinding white light emerged from Shiva's body and enveloped the ship. I paid no mind to it since I was familiar with the ritual from a century prior. I've never actually seen it done, but at the same time, I didn't really care since you apparently had to have specific qualifications in order to use it. Once the light faded, Shiva looked to me and said, "Come, Howard, let us contact the White Moon." I got up and walked with her out of her room, where Tact was waiting. She informed him the seal was gone to which he suggested heading to the bridge.

We ran to the bridge, where Tact informed the bridge crew the seal should be gone and ordered Almo to hail the White moon. When she did, it was a tense few seconds before we received a response. It was on audio only, so we could only hear her voice as she expressed her relief that the ship was safe. Now this was really starting to get under my skin. I've heard her voice before too, but I just couldn't put where. As Tact introduced himself to her, I couldn't help but smirk. The way he was acting, you would swear he was meeting a famous movie star face to face for the first time. Once he finished, what she said caught me a bit by surprise.

"Tact Mayers…Then you are the suitable person that General Luft meant. You lead the Elsior and Angel wing here through many battles. You have my word of gratitude." Hold on a minute, Luft knew this woman? Sounds like him and I need to have a chat.

Tact sternly replied, "No, not at all. It is an honor!" I raised an eyebrow at his change in attitude. Funny thing was that I wasn't the only one who noticed.

Lester whispered, "Hey Tact. What's with the change in attitude?"

Tact quickly whispered, "Shut up. Be quiet." Both my eyebrows shot up. I've never heard him to tell Lester to shut up before. There was something really weird going on here.

Prince Shiva stepped forward and said, "Lady Shatoyarn!"

Shatoyarn replied, "Prince Shiva…it is good that you're safe."

Shiva then said, "You are safe as well Lady Shatoyarn. Even though I was far away, I prayed for your safety." I couldn't help but smirk a bit watching this conversation. Even if not knowing where I heard her voice before was getting on my nerves.

The conversation carried on between the two of them for another minute before we were given permission to dock in the White Moon. As preparations were made to dock, I looked at Prince Shiva, who was practically radiant with joy.

After the Elsior and Emblem Frames all were docked in the White Moon, we all proceeded to meet up in the audience room. I came with Prince Shiva and Tact, whereas the Angel wing met up with us after we had arrived. I was pacing back and forth trying to think about her voice. Granted, if I didn't remember who she was after I see her face, then I may as well give up afterwards, but still, it was gnawing at me. We had been waiting in the audience room for a few minutes at that point.

Ranpha then spoke up, "What are you so restless for? You're starting to make me nervous." I glanced at her before saying, "I'm trying to think where I've heard her name and voice before. It's been bugging me for the last week now."

Tact decided to add his own input, "Lady Shatoyarn is the one who controls the Empire's Lost Technology. And she's also a smart and beautiful woman. And I'm supposed to be calm right now? No, there's no way!"

I shot him a dirty look before Milfeulle came over to me and said, "Ignore him. What's troubling you Howard?" I looked at her and said, "I know I've heard her name and voice somewhere before. But with everything that's happened as of late, I can't for the life of me remember where." She smiled and placed a hand on my chest, stopping me from pacing as she said, "It's alright. I'm positive it'll come to you in time. Whenever I have trouble remembering things, I try to think about what all I did that day or week to back track my steps." I scoffed as I said, "A bit hard for me since I've got centuries worth of steps in my head." This made her giggle a bit as Prince Shiva said, "Quiet down, all of you."

Within seconds of saying that, I heard a pair of footsteps behind me as that same voice rang out, "…This seems like a very lively conversation. Am I interrupting you?" I turned to look at the voice and when we locked eyes, both of our faces shot up in surprise. She was silent, I, however, was not…

"YOU!"

I knew I'd heard her name before. She was the Priestess that had an affair with King Gerard the better part of a decade ago. I happened to stumble across it when I caught a new scent in the air and found the two together after they had…well, let's just say spent some quality time together. King Gerard ordered me to stay quiet about it, to which I told him I would and there was nothing wrong with what he did. However, when we found out later that she was with child that changed things quite a bit. I'd forgotten all about her when things started going downhill with Eonia. But now that I'm staring at her face to face, it all came flooding back. Of course, this also reminded me that Shiva had absolutely no clue who her mother was, since I'd been sworn to silence about that too, so this is going to be one hell of a firestorm here if she starts digging.

Everyone jumped when I shouted, including Shiva as I continued, "Ok, ok, I knew I'd heard your name somewhere before! I never forget a face! This was where you ended up!? Damn it, damn it, damn it…" I turned and started to walk away cursing as everyone just looked at me in shock before Shiva said, "Howard, have you met Lady Shatoyarn before?" I honestly couldn't help but laugh at the question.

"Oh yeah, we've met before. Though, as I remember, you weren't nearly as covered in decoration last time I saw you." This caused Lady Shatoyarn to blush a bright red as everyone noticed, causing Milfeulle to look at me strangely. "Howard, what do you mean by that?"

I took a deep breath and sighed as I said, "That is between me and her. She knows very well what I'm referring to. What I will say though, is that I'm not referring to anything distasteful. Back then, she wasn't the Holy Mother of the White Moon is what I meant." They stared at me for another couple of seconds before Prince Shiva broke the silence. "Lady Shatoyarn! It's good to see you again!" Lady Shatoyarn turned and smiled at the young prince as she replied, "Prince Shiva…I'm so glad you were able to come back."

As the two were talking, Tact muttered, "What's with Prince Shiva? This is a big deal for us, but he's the one who can't control himself." I rolled my eyes as Milfeulle giggled a bit and commented, "He looks like a kid being reunited with his mother." Oh, how little did she know how right she was. Lady Shatoyarn then turned to us and said, "All of the Angel wing, Commander Mayers, and, of course, the Demon of the West. For protecting Prince Shiva up until now, I offer my sincere gratitude."

Tact tried to play it off and place the credit with myself and the Angel wing, though, I don't think Lady Shatoyarn was any less grateful, regardless of who the credit was owed to. I chose to remain silent as I stood by Milfeulle while the angel wing vouched for Tact in their own way.

When Forte brought up the fact that the reunion wasn't without its strings, Lady Shatoyarn's expression dipped as she said, "…I had a feeling it would not be. The fight against Eonia is not over yet?" Prince Shiva nodded as she said, "Correct. We have returned here seeking a way to defeat Eonia's forces." Tact added, "By chance, we learned an important secret related to the White Moon. We would like to ask you about it." I felt my blood begin to heat up at the mention of that. A mixed feeling of anger and anxiousness ran through my muscles as Lady Shatoyarn said, "…I understand. Let us go inside and speak of it then."

As we all followed Lady Shatoyarn into another audience chamber, I grabbed Milfeulle's hand and held it behind her back, causing her to yelp a bit before I whispered, "Sorry, but something tells me I'm not going to like what she has to say and I'd like to…well…" She smiled and whispered, "It's alright, I understand." Squeezing my hand, I smirked a bit, happy with the thought that I had her there to support me through what I'm sure was going to be a…rough revelation.

When the doors closed behind us, Tact began, "…From the data we found in the Elsior and Emblem Frames, we understand that there's a weapon for the Elsior here. We need that weapon to be able to beat the Black Moon. Does anything come to mind?" Moment of truth.

Lady Shatoyarn glumly said, "Is that so? The hidden power of the Elsior and Emblem Frames…"

Mint added, "That weapon appears to be in an arms factory in the central portion of the White Moon. However, does the White Moon truly have a place like that?"

Milfeulle continued to hold my hand behind her back as she also added, "And could you please tell us the secret about the Emblem Frame's hidden power, if that's okay."

Shatoyarn just stood there in silence. I knew that look on her face all too well.

Tact then said, "Please, Lady Shatoyarn."

She took a deep breath and said, "…I understand. I suppose you have the right to know the truth."

Tact, as well as the rest of the Angel wing were in shock as she told us everything. The anger I felt began to come to a boil as she asked us to follow her to that part of the White Moon. As we caught sight of the Elsior and the Emblem Frames, my arm began to shake in anger, though, I did my best not to squeeze Milfeulle's hand so as not to break it. She felt my arm shaking however and saw I was beginning to get mad.

Lady Shatoyarn told us everything about the history of the White Moon, as well as its true purpose. Milfeulle whispered to me, asking me if I was alright since she could feel my arm shaking. However, all I could do was slowly shake my head. I let go of her hand after Lady Shatoyarn had finished her explanation and took a step towards her. Milfeulle tried to hold me back, but her arms slid off of me as I continued to walk forward towards her, drawing everyone's attention as I let loose my anger.

"So, tell me then, Shatoyarn, how many people had to die before you figured that we could have used that weapon and this factory to put an end to this nonsense?"

Everyone looked at me in shock as Lady Shatoyarn looked at me in fear, knowing what was about to happen as she began to back up and say, "I truly hoped we wouldn't have to use the moon like this…"

That didn't satisfy me as I continued, "How many people, Shatoyarn? A million? 10? A billion? HOW MANY PEOPLE HAD TO DIE BEFORE YOU GOT PAST YOUR ARROGANT IDEALS TO LET US USE THIS THING FOR WHAT IT WAS DESIGNED FOR?!"

"Howard! That's enough!"

Prince Shiva's voice rang out, forcing me to stop in my tracks. Lady Shatoyarn was in tears as I glared at her, my arm still shaking and lightly pulsating faint blue as I tried my best to restrain myself from knocking the tar out of her. I growled at her before I turned and walked back over to Prince Shiva, who was glaring at me, clearly upset at how I had addressed her. I took a breath and stood behind her as Lady Shatoyarn apologized for hiding all of that from us and informed us that she would have the Chrono Break Canon, the weapon for the Elsior, installed back onto the ship. As well as removing the limiters that were on the Emblem Frames to allow the Angel wing to have their wings in the coming battle with Eonia.

As she asked us to get some rest to prepare for the coming battle, Shiva stepped forward and said, "Lady Shatoyarn. May I please have a moment?" She turned to her and said, "What is it?" Shiva continued, "I have something I want to ask you. About myself…" Oh hell, that's not good. "And…will you allow Tact Mayers to join us?" I glared at him, suspicious of how he had figured out her secret as I said, "Your majesty, with your permission, I would like to request to be present as well. The reason is….well, I can explain later." She looked at me and nodded as Lady Shatoyarn said, "Commander Mayers?" "Yes. What I want to ask you…I think he has the right to know too." Part of me was dreading what she was planning. If it was what I think it was, then I'm going to be in for a serious earful here shortly as Lady Shatoyarn said, "…I understand. Let us find a more suitable place. Come with me." As the three of them began to walk towards the door, I walked over to Milfeulle and said, "I'm sorry for that outburst. I couldn't control the anger I was feeling because of that. Can we talk later?" She smiled and said, "Of course. Though, you might want to hurry, they're leaving you behind." I smiled and poked her nose, causing her to giggle as I turned and caught back up with the three making their way out.

Upon entering another audience chamber, I leaned against one of the columns lining the room as Lady Shatoyarn closed the door and said, "Nobody will hear us if we speak here. Let us continue our conversation." Prince Shiva took a breath and said, "Lady Shatoyarn…I'd like to ask you the truth surrounding my birth." Lady Shatoyarn's expression dipped as she looked at Tact, who also confirmed his curiosity. She then turned to look at me as I silently nodded my head, signaling her to go ahead and say it. Prince Shiva looked at me in shock, wondering why she looked at me before she said, "I will tell you everything, however, the truth is not pleasant. You may regret coming to know it…Is that agreeable with you?"

I groaned lightly as Shiva said, "Yes. No matter how painful it may be, I shall not look away." That wasn't what I was worried about. Lady Shatoyarn commented, "…You truly have become stronger." With that, she told her everything.

Once she finished explaining that Shiva was qualified to become the next Holy Mother of the White Moon, Shiva asked why that was. Lady Shatoyarn began, "Shiva…is qualified to be the Holy Mother of the White Moon because…she inherited the qualifications from me." Both Tact and Shiva were shocked as they asked, "What do you mean by that?" That was when I spoke up.

"She means that she's your mother, Shiva."

The three of them looked at me in shock as I looked over at them. Shiva was in complete shock, as was Tact as Lady Shatoyarn looked back to them and said, "It is true. You're the child born to King Gerard and myself. 11 years ago, King Gerard and I fancied each other. I spent a night with his majesty, however, before I could leave, the Demon of the West had found me with his majesty in his chambers. Then you were born."

Shiva stammered, "N-no…How could…"

Tact then said, "I can't believe that King Gerard had a relationship with the Holy Mother of the Moon…No wonder nobody knew who your mother was. There's no way they could announce that…"

After Lady Shatoyarn said that she was sorry. Shiva looked over at me. Here we go.

"You knew? You knew this whole time!?"

I took a deep breath and walked over to the trio as I said, "Yes. Your father and Shatoyarn were both quite…surprised when I discovered them in his chambers." Shatoyarn looked down as I continued, "He swore me to secrecy because he was worried about what the people would think of him if word got out that he had a fling with a priestess of the White moon. Naturally, I laughed, and told him to relax. I gave him my word and escorted Lady Shatoyarn here to a private shuttle so she could depart. Where she went, I didn't know, but we received word that she was pregnant shortly afterwards. At first, there were a lot of calls to terminate the pregnancy from others who knew, however, I convinced your father to leave her be and to carry the child if she so chose too. That was when the decision to conceal your gender and who your mother was came to be, and even in death, I still wished to respect my old friend's request. However, since you brought it up, and somehow found your way back to her, there is no more avoiding the subject."

As I stood in front of Shiva, I could see tears welling in her eyes. I'm pretty sure I knew exactly what she was feeling. To find out someone you trusted with your life had been lying to you for years hit deep. The next thing I knew, she rushed forward and started hitting my armor as she cried, "Why didn't you tell me the truth? Why did you lie to me for all these years!? Why!? Why!?" After tiring herself out, she simply cried. She then said, "I endured for so long. I couldn't know my mother's face, and I was kept from my father. I thought everyone had forgotten about me. Then this revolt happened. I resigned myself to hiding that I was a woman, and decided I'd live my life as King. But…I don't know anything anymore! I was born from my father's flirtations! Nobody actually wanted me! I…What am I supposed to do…? Why was I born…" That hurt to hear. However, before I could say anything…

"No…No, Shiva. You were never unwanted!"

Lady Shatoyarn spoke up, catching me off-guard. Granted, at this point, I had no right to be angry with her about this, since I was just as guilty of concealing the truth as she was. Shiva looked at her in surprise as she continued, "When I learned that I was pregnant, everybody who knew opposed the birth." I growled a bit as she quickly added, "My apologies, everyone except the Demon." I huffed as she continued, "But…I wanted to have you at any cost. I persisted in my selfish desire…The small life in me…I wanted to bring you into this world. Even though almost everybody else opposed it, I wanted to have you. That is the truth, Shiva…

Shiva was beyond words as she just kept going. "But…I hurt you after all…I will not ask for your forgiveness…This was my own selfish desire…" I sighed a bit as I added, "As I have told you many times before, Shiva. You're the closest thing I have to a daughter. I won't apologize for hiding the truth about this because I was honoring the request from a very dear friend of mine that was your father. If you wish to dismiss me from your service, I do understand."

Both Tact and Shiva were silent for a few moments, as I looked at Shatoyarn, who gave me a sympathetic smile, knowing that this was just as hard for me as it was for her. Shiva then finally spoke up. "…No…It's…I'm okay now. The person I've wanted my entire life…The person who gave birth to me…She's right here. With that alone, I…I'm glad to have been given life…That's how I sincerely feel. Thank you very much. …Mother…!"

Both, myself and Lady Shatoyarn looked at her in shock and surprise as Shatoyarn said, "You…called me mother…" Shiva then leapt into her embrace, calling her mother again as I smiled and decided to give them some privacy. Part of me was envious because I have no memory of my mother. So, knowing that she finally has hers back warmed part of my heart. As I made my way towards the door, I could feel Tact's eyes on me, though, I paid no mind to it. I could hear the two begin to cry as they held each other.

There was nothing quite like watching the reunion of a mother and a daughter. This, however, was their moment, so I chose to exclude myself from it.

Upon returning to the Elsior, I decided to look for Milfeulle to apologize to her properly for that outburst. As I made my way through the ship, I came across each of the angel wing members, each more anxious and unable to sleep than the last. I spent some time with each of them, helping put their thoughts at ease and convincing each of them to go and get some sleep before I finally came across Milfeulle in the viewing park, staring at the stars in thought.

As I walked up to her, she turned towards me and said, "Ah…Howard."

I smiled and said, "So this is where you were hiding. I was beginning to wonder if I was going to be able to find you."

She looked down a bit as she said, "Yeah, I couldn't sleep for some reason…"

I chuckled as I stood next to her and said, "You're anxious about tomorrow. Perfectly understandable. Usually, the night before a fight that may end them all usually gives anyone the jitters. I've been getting the same thing from the rest of the angel wing before I calmed them down and got them to bed."

She commented, "Yeah…I guess…Tomorrow…Finally."

I smiled and said, "Yeah, everything comes down to tomorrow. I can assure you that no matter what, this Coup, this war, is ending tomorrow."

She looked at me and said, "Do you think that we can win?"

I chuckled as I said, "Well, considering we've got your luck, I think it's the safe bet to go with. Besides, they have yet to be able to stop me. Not to mention with you on our side, I don't have a worry in the galaxy."

She looked at me in confusion as she asked, "Why wouldn't you worry because of that?"

I answered, "Well, I guess the best way to put it would be that you're my Angel of Luck, and I'm your Demon of Retribution. Between the two of us, we can't possibly lose."

She blushed as she said, "I'm….an angel of luck…?"

I smirked as I said, "Absolutely…When I'm with you, I can't help but feel happy. That gives me the confidence and the feeling that there isn't a thing in the galaxy that can hurt me. With you at my side, no matter what happens, I think it'll turn out perfectly fine."

She turned towards me before saying, "I'm…really happy…That you said that Howard. People have been jealous of my luck, and it's caused so much trouble. But you're the first one to say anything like that!"

I smiled and said, "You've always been an angel of luck to me."

She was blushing profusely at this point as she stammered, "Howard…I…"

Before I knew it, I was knocked back a bit as she leapt forward and hugged me. She looked up at me while I looked down into her beautiful cerulean eyes as she said, "Tomorrow, I'm going to do my absolute best. For the man…no…for the Demon that I love…For you."

I couldn't help but smile as I rubbed my nose with hers lightly before saying, "Knowing that, that's all I'll need to be able to win tomorrow."

She smiled and said, "Yes, we'll definitely win. Please believe in me."

I chuckled as I said, "Of course I will. The angel of luck is telling me too."

She merely giggled before saying, "Hey, Howard?"

I tilted my head a bit as I said, "Hmm?"

She continued, "I'm thankful for my luck. I think that because of it, I was able to meet you."

I felt a surge of joy flow through me as I said, "Words couldn't express how happy I am to have met you."

She then asked, "Can we…stay like this a little longer?"

I chuckled as I held her and said, "Of course. As long as you want, my dear Milfeulle."

As she rested her head on my chest above my armor, she said, "Thank you."

As we held each other, I placed my hand behind her head and said, "Do you know what I'm doing tomorrow?"

She placed a hand on my armor as she said, "You'll be protecting everyone on the Elsior while the Angel wing goes after Eonia, right?"

I sighed a bit as I said, "…Not this time, I'm afraid. Prince Shiva has something else in mind for me."

She lifted her head and looked up at me as I continued, "I'll be flying a shuttle to Eonia's flagship. You girls are going to clear a path for me, and I'm to board his ship. I'm to either force him to surrender, or…" I trailed off as she looked at me with worry, placing a hand on my cheek. I nestled her hand as I finished, "…or I'm to kill him. Either way, the war ends tomorrow. Knowing I'll have you watching over me, I can't possibly lose." I grabbed her hand and kissed it, causing her to blush as I hugged her tightly.

No matter what happens tomorrow, I can truthfully say I've never been happier than I am right now.


	16. Chapter 16: War and Peace

_**Chapter 16: War and Peace**_

The next morning, as I walked with the Angel wing down to the Docking bay of the White Moon to their frames, we were all quiet. I was lost in my thoughts, wondering if I'll actually be able to bring myself to kill Eonia if I had too. Ranpha decided to speak up, "You're awful quiet this morning, Howard. You didn't seem that worried when we spoke last night." I cocked my eyebrow as I said, "It's not you I'm worried about Ranpha. I have every confidence you girls will do fantastically as you always do. I'm more worried about what will happen to Eonia." Milfeulle grabbed my hand behind her back and gave it a squeeze, letting me know that I'm not alone as Forte said, "I don't get how you could be worried about that heartless bastard. He's butchered billions of people and razed a couple of planets in his path for the throne. He doesn't deserve anyone's sympathy."

I looked at her and said, "So tell me then, if you were ordered to kill a man that you raised as a son, could you do it without so much as a second thought?"

Everyone's gaze shot to me as we stopped short of the Emblem Frames as Mint said, "Howard, I can't truly say I understand how you're feeling right now, but please don't forget that you're not alone. Not anymore."

Ranpha then asked, "Technically, it's not you that's going to be killing him. It'll be Tact when he orders the Chrono Break Canon to shoot him down." I shook my head at her response before I rebutted, "Then…never mind. You girls should get to your frames. Eonia's fleet will be here soon, and I don't want you getting yelled at."

The girls nodded, and as they walked to their frames, I yelled to them, "Good Luck!" To which they smiled and thanked me. What I didn't notice was that Milfeulle was still next to me, holding my hand still. I looked at her and before I could ask, she cut me off.

"No matter what happens, promise me one thing, Howard."

I smiled as I gave her hand a squeeze and said, "Of course, just name it."

She was fighting to hold back tears as she smiled and said, "Promise you'll come back to me."

The cracking in her voice tugged at my heartstrings as I pulled her into a hug. I whispered to her, "There isn't a force in the Galaxy that could stop me from coming back to you, my dear angel."

She sniffed a bit as she wiped a tear away, smiling at me as I motioned her towards her frame and said, "Now go get 'em Tiger." She giggled a bit and released my hand, running towards her frame, leaving me alone on the dock. I couldn't help but wonder if I had just made a promise that I couldn't keep. Well, at the very least, I'm going to give it my best shot.

I rushed back to the hanger of the Elsior as the Frames launched from the White Moon ahead of the Elsior. It didn't take me long with my demonic speed, but I could still feel my heart pounding in my ears. The sense of dread that began to flow through me was irritating to say the least. Creta informed me that the shuttle I was taking was prepped and ready to go, so I thanked her and quickly ran aboard.

As I prepped the shuttles systems for take-off, my comm system chirped for my attention. I opened the channel and several displays popped up, showing the faces of Tact and the Angel wing. As I began conducting my takeoff, Tact began his briefing.

"Alright everyone, this is it. The final battle! Here's the plan. There are three missile frigates, three high speed frigates, six carriers, and the Hell Hounds all defending Eonia's Flagship. Angel Wing, you're going to engage the hell hounds, as well as keep the attention of as many of those ships as you can. Your job is going to be to punch a hole in Enoia's defenses long enough for Howard to slip through on a shuttle to board his flagship. Once he's in, you'll be cleared to engage and destroy what you can. Go for the hell hounds first because they'll pose the biggest threat…"

Ranpha cut him off, "What do you mean Howard is boarding Eonia's flagship? All we need to do is buy enough time for the Chrono Break Canon to charge, and then we'll wipe him and his fleet out."

Tact replied, "This order is from Prince Shiva. Eonia is to be given one more chance to surrender. If he doesn't surrender to Howard, then his orders will be to kill him."

Everyone gasped as I remained silent, focused on conducting my take off from the hanger. As I cleared the Hanger, Forte said, "Howard, is that what you were talking about earlier?" I looked at the girls faces, choosing to remain silent. It was bothering me enough as it was and the last thing I needed was something to distract me since they'll have their hands more than full trying to open a path for me.

Mint then said, "Tact, we'll do our absolute best. Don't worry Howard, we'll make sure nothing comes near you." Everyone sounded off in agreement before Tact finished his plan. "Ok then, like I was saying, go for the hell hounds first because they'll pose the biggest threat, both to you and to Howard. Once Howard signals he's clear of the battleship, we'll fire the Chrono Break Canon and take out whatever is left of his fleet. Any questions?"

Everyone said no as I said, "Girls, I will not be waiting around if I see an opening. So, don't worry too much about me." Next thing I hear is Almo in the background saying, "Commander! Communication from the enemy flagship!" Guess he wanted to get one more word in before we started. Fair enough. Before Tact could say anything, I said, "Open a channel, Almo. Let's hear what he's got to say." Truthfully, I was hoping I could convince him to give up before this went too far, however, even with my and Milfeulle's luck combined, I don't think that was going to happen.

Eonia's face popped up on a new display in front of me as he said, "…You people on the Elsior and in the Angel Wing still continue to resist?" Tact replied, "Yeah, that's the plan. Until you and the Black moon are defeated!" Eonia coyly replied, "You should understand the power that I have here. Do you really think you can win?"

"Eonia, what was the 5th thing I taught you?"

His expression shot into surprise when I spoke up, showing that he wasn't expecting me to interject. "Howard…even though you're outnumbered, still you fight. Though, you do have a point. I should have remembered that after I tried to take over the Elsior. It's not too late to join me. With the Black Moon at my back, not even you could hope to come out of this victorious."

I shook my head as I said, "Funny, I was going to say the same thing to you. Though, the Black Moon isn't going to be of much help to you in this fight."

He raised an eyebrow as he said, "Oh? And why do you say that?"

"Because no matter how many ships that thing spits out to put in my way, I'm coming over there and there isn't a thing you can do to stop me."

A look of horror eclipsed his face as I closed my end of the channel. I looked at the girls and said, "Alright girls." I cracked my knuckles as I said, "Let's get this party started!" With that, the girls shot off towards the enemy fleet, with me close behind them. As we grew closer to the enemy fleet, I could make out the Hell hounds making their approach on the angel wing. I knew that they were probably going to have their hands full with them, so it'll mainly be up to me to force my way through the extra ships.

The Angel wing broke formation and engaged each of the hell hounds as I blew past them and made my way towards Eonia's flagship. However, I did not go unnoticed. All of the Frigates and Carriers turned towards me. Of course this wouldn't be easy. The high speed frigates were the first to enter firing range and they proceeded to do so, forcing me to pull off into an evasive action. As I weaved through two of the frigates and turned towards Eonia's flagship, however, the three carriers off his port side moved into my way.

I turned to starboard to try to circle around the aft end, however, the frigates had turned and began firing in my direction. I dropped and pulled to port to get out of the line of fire, however, I wasn't fast enough and the shields took part of the attack. I was jostled a bit from the hit, but I maintained my composure and pulled up to try and slip behind the carriers and force my way to the battleship.

Unfortunately, the other three carriers had entered into weapons range and began firing their heavy weapons towards me. I knew this wouldn't be easy, but not having a means to fire back made this really annoying. I had one missile that was jury-rigged onto the shuttle so I could blow my way into the hanger, and that was it. Though, as luck would have it, I saw an opening off the starboard bow of the flagship that only had a carrier in front of it. Guess they were more hard pressed to get me than they were giving a proper defense.

Big mistake.

I turned and slipped between two carriers and below a missile frigate as I made a B-line towards the one carrier, which was turning towards me. I knew this was going to hurt and braced myself for the hit I knew I would have to take to get to Eonia. However, as the carrier prepared to fire, a bright pink beam shot out and took out the carrier in front of me.

The Lucky Star flew past my bow, with one of the Hell hounds hot in pursuit as she drew off the other ships that were chasing me. Like the angel she is, she swooped to my rescue. I swear, when this is over I'm going to kiss her square on the mouth for that. I won't care who's watching, but that's a matter for later.

I plowed through the debris of the carrier and fired the missile I had to blow the door to the hanger bay open, allowing me to land on Eonia's flagship. It was a hasty landing, but I did my best, considering I was not going to have a lot of time before the welcoming party showed up. I leapt out of my chair and opened the door leading into the hanger. An emergency forcefield activated, sealing the hanger from space, which meant that I wouldn't be alone for long. I sprinted with my demonic speed towards the main door, however, when I reached it, it had been sealed. Guess he wasn't going to make this easy.

I took a couple of steps back and clenched my right fist, digging my claws into my hand and soaking them in blood. After a moment, I reared my hand back and swiped the air in front of me, sending several red blood blades flying into the door. The force of the impact reverberated throughout the hanger and damaged the door, but not enough for me to tear it open. So, I swung three more times, sending a flurry of blades into the door until it finally gave and was nothing more than several large chunks of detached metal on the floor. As I stepped into the passageway, however, I heard several weapons racking back. Looks like my alone time was up.

I turned towards the men, who all leveled their weapons at me, and said, "Morning gentlemen. Are we going to do this the easy way, or the hard way?" No sooner had I finished did they open fire. I ducked behind a corner as I said, "Somehow, I thought you might say that." I took a deep breath, and lunged around the corner and charged into the hail of gunfire, weaving between the energy bolts with my demonic speed and tearing through them like they were wet paper.

After roughly ten minutes of hacking my way through the ships company, I finally reached the bridge. I approached the door and, surprisingly, it opened, revealing Eonia standing and facing the windows showing the battle as it raged on in front of his ship. I slowly walked onto the bridge, the sound of my boots echoing through the deck, as he said, "Punctual as always, Howard. Some things never change."

I stopped about ten feet behind him as I said, "Well, you know how I like to make an entrance." He chuckled a bit at my joke as he said, "So, I presume you're here to kill me?" I stared at him for a moment before responding, "Prince Shiva has allowed me to give you one more chance to surrender. Please Eonia. It's not too late to just end this and come home." He sighed a bit as he said, "You and I both know that's not true. After everything I've done, trying to bring a golden age to Transbaal with the Lost Technology, there is no redemption left for me." He turned and looked at me with his charismatic smile as he said, "You've always been a good friend, and my best guardian. I remember when I was a child and how you would watch over me whenever I would go out to play, or how you were there when my teachers would lecture me on one topic and another, just to have you turn around and tell me what I should really take away from it. Those were good years. I never did properly thank you for everything you did for me."

I was getting a bit worried at this point. Before I could respond, he continued, "I know that you're to kill me if I don't come quietly. And I have too much respect for you to allow you to stain your hands with my blood. I know it's too late to apologize, but…" He trailed off as he looked back out into the battle. I was beyond suspicious at this point as I asked, "Eonia, what did you do?" All he did was turn back to me, and smile.

Within seconds, I got my answer.

The ship rocked heavily, knocking the both of us off balance as several of the systems across the bridge overloaded and exploded. One of them shattered a metal plate into several jagged metal spears, flying out from the momentum of the explosion. The larger of the pieces impaled Eonia through his chest, causing me to yell out, "NOOO!" I sprinted forward and caught him as he dropped to his knees, blood rampantly flowing from the wound in his chest and his mouth. As I propped him up to try to cauterize his wound, he smiled and said, "Don't bother. I know what you're thinking. This is a fitting punishment for what I've done. I know I have no right to ask for your forgiveness. But, I do want to say that you were right. You were right about everything…" With that, his head fell limp as the last of his life drained from his body. I checked his pulse to see if he was gone, which, I was met with a lack of a pulse.

The ship rocked several more times as I silently grieved for the loss of a man that I raised like a son. After a few moments, I stood up, gently setting his body down and ran over to one of the few functional consoles on the bridge to find it locked out. The last command still locked onto the display.

He had ordered all automated ships to destroy his flagship.

Now I was sitting on a time bomb. This ship could only take so much punishment from all those ships before it finally gave. So I ran over to Eonia's body and pulled it up and over my shoulder. He may have been an enemy of Transbaal, but I won't stoop down and throw away my values because of it. He didn't deserve to be sent off like this, no matter what he had done. With that, I sprinted off the bridge and into the corridor as several more explosions rang out across the ship.

As I made my way through the first corridor, Tact came over my comlink that I had in my ear and said, "Howard, what's your status? The automated fleet just began firing on Eonia's Flagship."

I quickly responded, "Eonia was killed in the initial bombardment. I'm making my way to the hanger now. If you don't hear from me in five minutes, fire the Chrono Break Canon and wipe out this fleet."

Tact began to object, "But…"

I cut him off swiftly as I said, "That's an order." With that, I closed the comlink and continued to hurry through the corridors as the ship began to fall apart around me. After several re-routes and detours later, I finally reached the hanger, where the shuttle I came in on had been hit with some debris, but it was still spaceworthy. So I quickly hurried over to it and ran aboard, slamming the console on the bulkhead to seal the door behind me. I set Eonia's body down across a few of the seats and ran to the pilot's chair. I had been keeping count since I closed the comlink with Tact and I had about a minute left before he was to fire. So, I fired up the shuttles engines and began to take off.

A few more explosions rang out, causing the shuttle to rock a bit while I was taking off, but nothing too damaging. Within seconds, I flew out of the hanger and began to weave my way through the heavy crossfire coming from all the automated ships. It didn't take me long to clear them as they were locked in on destroying that flagship. No sooner had I cleared them, a bright and powerful energy blast shot across my stern, lighting up my proximity alarms and engulfing the automated fleet, as well as Eonia's flagship. I guess Tact actually listened to me for a change. I pulled to the port to get a view of the blast firsthand, and to see that much power coming from the Elsior sent a chill down my spine. No damn wonder they locked that thing away.

As the blast faded away, revealing nothing left from the automated fleet, my comm system lit up like a firework with several hails from the angel wing and the Elsior. Guess they wanted to know if I made it out alright. I accelerated the ship to full speed towards the Elsior as I opened the channels, causing several displays to pop up in front of my with everyone's faces on them as they all sighed in relief when they saw me.

Milfeulle was the first to speak. "Howard! Thank goodness. I was worried that you didn't make it off Eonia's flagship in time."

Ranpha came on next, "Yeah, what's the big idea with telling Tact to fire the Chrono Break Canon if he didn't hear from you? Where you trying to get yourself killed and scare us half to death? Idiot."

Mint followed suit, "Now, now Ranpha, we should be happy that he managed to get out in time. How did your mission go?" As she asked that question, my expression dipped, forcing me to remain silent as Forte said, "I think we all already know how it went. Bottom line, that's it. The war is finally over and we can go back to living in peace again."

The Angel wing formed up behind me as I drew closer to the Elsior with Milfeulle off my port bow. I couldn't begin to put how I was feeling into words. I had just watched a man I practically considered a son die in front of my eyes, and there wasn't a thing I could do to stop it. All the power I could ever want at my fingertips, and yet death still held absolute domain over me. As I silently continued on course to dock in the hanger, several of my proximity alarms went off. I looked at my radar and five enemy ships were coming at us from behind. It was the hell hounds, but when I pulled up a visual on them, they were…different.

They had their own wings.

Before I could ask what was going on, Tact opened a channel with us and said, "Angel Wing, I'm not sure how, but the Hell hounds are coming back onto the field, and they have wings on their frames as well. Howard, continue on course to dock with the Elsior as quickly as possible. Angel wing, you're to engage the Hell Hounds."

As the angel wing began to voice each of their concerns over what they were feeling, I could feel it as well. Most likely due to my demonic aura, however, I knew what the angels were telling Tact. Those pilots couldn't be considered human anymore. Whether they were dead, or something worse, I wasn't sure. What I was sure of, however, was that they no longer had any control over their actions. The angel wing broke off and turned to engage them as I made my final approach and landed in the hanger of the Elsior.

Once I shut the shuttles engines down, I walked over and picked up Eonia's body and carried it off the shuttle. As I exited the shuttle and the hanger staff were getting ready to conduct any necessary repairs, every single one of them, including Creta, stopped in shock as they saw me carrying Eonia's lifeless body through the hanger. None of them said a word, probably because they saw the look on my face and knew I wouldn't take it kindly, as I left the hanger and proceeded to the medical bay.

Once I had Eonia's body placed into the cryo-storage chamber to keep his body from beginning decomposition, I quickly set my feelings aside and ran to the bridge. Upon entering the bridge, the battle between the hell hounds and the angel wing was almost complete as Tact looked at me and said, "Howard, if there's…"

I cut him off quickly and coldly, "Nothing you can do. What's the status of the battle with the hell hounds?"

He hesitated for a minute before responding, "They're just finishing up. All we have left to do is to clear a path through the attack satellites so we can get into position to fire the Chrono Break Canon at the Black Moon." I nodded as I looked at the tactical display showing the field of battle as the last hell hound disappeared off the radar and the angel wing pressed forward towards the attack satellites.

As the Elsior moved forward, Almo called out, "1000 kilometers until we're in range. Estimated time until we're in range, 5 minutes. Chrono Break Canon at 67% charge. Time until full charge is 3 minutes." Continuing forward, I heard the faint whisper from my subconscious. _'The Black moon isn't done, be ready.'_ As I watched the Black moon slowly pull the White moon from its orbit, I couldn't help but wonder what that thing could possibly do in this position. Within a minute, however, as the line of attack satellites began to thin out, I got my answer.

"Energy spike from the Black Moon! It's firing at us!"

Immediately, I leapt over the railing in front of me and erected a barrier around the Elsior with a couple of seconds to spare. As soon as the energy blast from the Black moon hit my barrier, I could feel the heat from the shot transfer from the barrier into my arms. I gritted my teeth in pain, trying not to scream at how much this seriously hurt before the energy blast subsided. I dropped my hands, lowering the barrier as saw that I had suffered several 2nd degree burns stopping that blast. However, my reprieve didn't last long.

"Another energy blast incoming!"

I shot another barrier up around the ship, and again, stopped the blast. This time however hurt worse than last time and I screamed in agony while struggling to maintain the barrier. I couldn't afford to drop it. That same energy blast took out a chunk of Rhome, I shuddered to think of what it would do to the Elsior if it hit us. As the beam subsided, I dropped to my knees, arms shaking at how badly they hurt. I was also feeling my anger begin to slip. I could hear Tact and Lester's voice, but they were faint, like they were yelling at me from a distance. My heartbeat slowed as I made a choice that would either save us, or doom us.

I let go.

Another energy blast came towards us, and I stood up and erected another barrier. As I felt the pain flow into my arms, I roared out, letting my demon blood take control. This time was different though, I was seeing everything that was happening, but I didn't feel like I had any control. I saw my arms and as I fought to keep the barrier erected, I saw the burns struggling to spread up my arms. My skin was burning and healing almost instantaneously as my rage held the barrier in place, allowing the Elsior to push forward.

I stopped two more blasts before my rage faded and I regained control, however, as I stopped the next blast, the pain was getting to the point of becoming unbearable as the burns began to spread again up my arms and onto my chest. As the energy beam subsided, I yelled out, "How much further? I can't keep this up!" Almo responded, "Almost there, 15 more seconds." No sooner did she say that, did another energy blast come in. I shot up another barrier and stopped it, but it didn't last long. I couldn't hold it up any more as the burns spread across my body, causing my legs to give out and drop to the ground and allowing the energy blast to hit the Elsior. I felt the ship shake and I heard several damage reports getting called out, though, the fact we were still there meant I managed to stop most of the destructive power from wiping us out. However, I had reached my breaking point.

As my arms were shaking and I could visibly see the smoke coming from my body, I saw the Lucky Star fly above the Elsior, sending out feathers as her wings flapped which looked beautiful. I would have enjoyed the sight more if it wasn't for the agonizing pain I was in. That, however, was the last thing I remember seeing before I finally passed out.

When I woke up, I found myself in the medical bay. I moved to sit up and found myself in a hospital gown. I was covered in bandages from the neck down, but I wasn't in any pain. That didn't make any sense since the last thing I remember was nothing but pain from stopping all those blasts from the Black Moon. I began to undo the bandages on my arms to find my arms had fully healed. I had to have been out for at least a day to have allowed them to fully heal. As I began to undo more bandages, Dr. Cera came in and saw what I was doing.

She was not happy to say the least.

"Stop! Demon, what are you doing? Do you have any clue how long it took to treat all your injuries!?"

As I let the bandages fall to the ground, she noticed that my wounds were gone. I began to undo the bandages around my chest as I calmly replied, "As I've said on quite a few occasions before, Doctor, I heal a lot faster than humans do." The burns on my chest had also healed completely before I asked, "How long was I out?" She walked over to me and said, "A little under a day." Judging from the fact we were still here, I assumed that Tact managed to get the Elsior into range to fire the Chrono Break Canon and we were finally at peace.

After removing the last of the bandages, and a thorough examination, Dr. Cera finally gave me the ok to leave. Not before I got a visit from Tact, though.

"Well, look who finally decided to wake up. Have any good dreams there, Howard?"

I looked at him and chuckled as I said, "Not that I can remember. Speaking of not remembering, what happened after that last hit before I passed out?"

He walked over to me as I was getting dressed and said, "Milfie used all of her luck through the Lucky Star and saved us from getting picked off. We managed to destroy the Black Moon, but it didn't come without its cost. Milfie can't fly the Lucky Star anymore. We had to tow her back into the hanger of the White moon. The angel wing all moved back onto the White Moon and Prince Shiva has been making preparations to ascend the throne here later today."

As I moved to put my armor back on, I found it in pieces in a bin by the bed as Tact said, "Oh, yeah, that. So, your armor had been superheated by the energy transfer from your barrier, so we had no choice but to cut it off of you in order to treat your injuries. Prince Shiva gave his approval before we did, just so you're aware." I sighed as I picked up a piece of what was my pauldron before tossing it back into the bin and said, "Where is Prince Shiva?"

Tact smiled and said, "He's on the White moon, and I'm pretty sure he'll want to see you back on your feet."

 _ ***6 months later***_

So, 6 months have passed and things have slowly but steadily recovered from that whole mess we went through with the Black Moon. So, quick update on a couple of things before we get to current events. Within a couple of weeks, Shiva ascended the throne and announced her true gender to everyone, which was welcomed by an overwhelming majority of the population. I still worked as her personal guardian because…well…like I need to explain that one. After Shiva ascended the throne, I held a private funeral with myself, Milfeulle and Empress Shiva for Eonia. At first, Shiva wasn't enthusiastic about the idea, but after a bit of convincing, she agreed to it in the end. Milfeulle didn't hold any ill will towards Eonia, she was mainly there for me since she could feel how much it hurt me to have to do this.

So, next up was the matter of my armor. Empress Shiva and I paid a visit to the forge of Master Blacksmith Joseph Yoshinaka. He was quite surprised to see the two of us suddenly walk into his forge unannounced, but his apprentice, Heskel, remembered me and welcomed me back. Once I explained my case with Master Yoshinaka, he was excited beyond words to craft me a new set of armor. I filled him in on how I wanted it to look and Shiva told him to spare no expense. The order took about two weeks to complete, but when it was done, it looked even more gorgeous than my previous set did. Granted, it looked identical to my previous set, but between the materials used as well as the techniques employed in its forging, this set was definitely going to last much longer than my last set did.

Last, but most certainly not least was my relationship with Milfeulle. We began dating shortly after the end of the battle, and despite how I kept getting dragged away by my duties, I always did my best to slip a little time in at every chance to either go see her, or to contact her just to hear her voice. But, I was left in shock when I found out she put in to resign from the Angel wing because she couldn't fly the Lucky Star anymore. I pleaded with her to stay with me at the palace, but she didn't want to impose. She did ask me to come see her off at the spaceport and once she settled into her new place that she would let me know where it was so I could come and see her more often.

Which brings us to now.

I was pacing back and forth on the shuttle as we were docking on the orbital spaceport above Transbaal. I received word that Milfeulle decided to quit the Angel wing and I received permission from Empress Shiva to go and see her off. I couldn't move fast enough as soon as I heard that. I haven't seen her in a few weeks from how much traveling Shiva had been doing that I had to go with her for. Words couldn't express how much I missed holding her. Now, here I was about to miss the perfect chance to do so because I let my duties take precedence over my love life.

As soon as the doors to my shuttle opened into the spaceport, I bolted out the door and using my demonic speed, soared through the corridors towards the lobby to see if I could find the shuttle she went to. Upon arriving in the lobby, I found the angel wing all standing there talking between each other. Mint was the first to notice me flying towards them.

"Howard!"

All of the girls turned to look at me as I stopped just short of them and said, "Hey girls, hate to chat and run, but Milfeulle, where?"

Mint pointed down the corridor on my right and said, "Dock D9, if you hurry, you can catch her!" I gave her a quick hug and said "Thank you!" With that, I bolted and leapt into the air to avoid the crowd and make my way to the docking airlock.

Within a minute, I arrived at Dock D9 and saw the doors closing. Just past the doors, I saw her standing there holding her bag. I landed and ran towards the door, yelling, "Milfeulle!" She turned and looked at me as the doors sealed. She put her hand on the door as I ran into the door before yelling at the attendant to open them back up.

The attendant tried telling me they already began the takeoff sequence and that it couldn't be stopped. I heard Milfeulle knocking on the door in front of me, causing me to look at her as she smiled and held up a finger in front of the door. I lifted my right index finger and channeled a bit of my power into it so I could follow what she did. She drew the letters on the door and I followed with my finger, drawing and illuminating them on the door in front of me.

 _I love you._

As soon as I saw that, I smiled and placed my hand on the door, which she matched and we smiled at each other before the shuttle detached from the dock and slowly took off away from the port before finally disappearing into the atmosphere. I sighed as I heard the angel wing run up behind me, all huffing and puffing from the running they just did. I was still staring out into space where the shuttle flew as I heard them begin whispering about who should say something. I sighed and said, "It's alright. While it wasn't quite the sendoff I wanted to give her, at least I got to see her one more time." I turned to look at them and smiled before I said, "Come on, let's go get some food, my treat." Even though I was with the angel wing for now, my thoughts were with Milfeulle.

' _Until the next time we meet my beloved Angel of Luck.'_

 **A/N: And with that, we have come to the conclusion of Galaxy Angel Variance! That was definitely a ride, and I can't wait to get the next story in line rolling.**

 **Howard: You are really messed up, you realize that?**

… **Ok, I'll bite, why?**

 **Howard: All that trouble to set me and her up, and we end up separated in the end? Seriously?**

 **Trust me, that was for a reason.**

 **Howard: And what's the deal with destroying my armor at the end, I actually liked that armor.**

 **That was also done for a reason.**

 **Howard: -_-**

 **So, before I forget, quick disclaimer, once again, I do not own the Galaxy Angel series or the character Inu-no-Taisho. Thank you all very much for reading my story and by all means leave as long of a review as you possibly can, both Howard and I enjoy reading them and really want to hear your thoughts on how we overall traveled through the story.**

 **Howard: Absolutely, I am also eager to hear your thoughts on how I handled being included in this retelling of a classic story.**

 **Thank you again for reading, and we will see YOU…in the next story!**


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